


Alpha to His People

by DJ_Greg



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alpha Benny Lafitte, Alpha Castiel (Supernatural), Alpha Sam Winchester, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe, Beta Anna Milton, Explicit Language, M/M, Omega Dean, Pack Dynamics, Wanderer Benny, Wilderness, pack leader Dean
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-10
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-02 02:22:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 26,444
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23577607
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DJ_Greg/pseuds/DJ_Greg
Summary: Biologically Dean was an Omega, but he also held the position of Alpha leader of his entire pack, a rare occurrence in the wolf community. Despite some opposition, he took on the role and worked hard to ensure safety of his people. That’s why when a pack member informed him there’s a stranger Alpha with unknown motive on their territory, Dean collected two of his most trusted men and ventured to capture the intruder for questioning.He haven’t expected that this stranger, Benny, would smell so deliciously or he’d turned out to be a perfect mate for Dean...
Relationships: Benny Lafitte/Dean Winchester
Comments: 23
Kudos: 58





	1. Intruder

**Author's Note:**

> Here's an idea that bounced in my head for nearly a year which I had to put aside to focus on "Road to Salvation". I'm glad to be getting out more stories focusing on Dean/Benny ship on my profile, this ship is very underrated. Originally, the story was suppose to be written in one piece, but considering how long this set-up scene got, I've decided to split it into several chapters.
> 
> All mistakes are mine, because for the first time in over a year I edited my own work.
> 
> Enjoy!

„There’s a stranger Alpha on our territory” Anna announced.

Dean paused work on a medicine box he was carving from a block of wood and lifted his head to look at the concerned woman. From the corner of his eye he noticed Castiel, Anna’s brother who was sculpting a small rack for flasks, do the same.

„I caught his scent when I was collecting wood” Anna added.

Worry weighted down on Dean’s stomach, though he kept his features schooled in a calm, confident expression appropriate for the leader in the face of a problem. Because a stranger Alpha on their territory most likely meant that. During his father’s time as the head of the pack Dean watched numerous Alphas wander into their village to _demand_ goods or stir up trouble. Dean was still haunted by the memory of one stranger challenging John for leadership over the village; they got into a bloody match, which left John bed-ridden for nearly a month, but he managed to force the Alpha away and some time later Bobby came across his corpse slumped down over a tree near the village, having bled to death. Nowadays Dean knew such situations were a part of nature − two Alphas fighting for dominance until one of them wasn’t able to continue − but it was traumatic to his eight-year-old self to see his powerful, fearless father reduced to such state when he couldn’t even get up from bed on his own.

Ever since Dean took over as the leader, he feared a similar challenge and after three years of relatively peaceful time it seemed troubles have finally arrived. A faint hope flickered in Dean’s heart that perhaps Anna was mistaken, but he quickly dismissed that possibility. Like all packs, they lived in a tightly-knitted community and though Anna and Castiel joined them only two years ago, they both had enough time to become accustomed with everyone’s scents. There was no question Anna would recognize a villager from an outsider.

„Where was that?” Dean asked in a confident tone.

„Near the Black Rock” Anna explained. That was half an hour away from the village and Dean _hated_ that some stranger Alpha got this close to the village without _anyone_ noticing. „I followed his trail—”

Next to Dean Castiel inhaled sharply. „That was reckless!” he scolded, cutting Anna off. His usually emotionless face grew darker in Alpha anger, but his natural scent told a different story when it became filled with sour stench of fear. „You could have gotten _hurt_ if he spotted you!” As female Beta Anna _wouldn’t stand_ a chance against a grown male Alpha. Perhaps if she were an Alpha herself she could fight him off, though female Alphas still tended to be less muscular than male ones.

Dean understood Castiel’s worry, considering that Anna was the only family member he had left after they’ve been chases away from their old pack by the rest of their family for refusing to toe the line on some draconian rules. From what Anna told Dean, they’ve wandered alone for several moons before they came across Dean’s pack and asked to be accepted into it, fully aware that they would be safer in numbers from the merciless nature. They actually went smartly about reaching out to Dean. Castiel as an Alpha simply strolling into the village could be seen as a threat, so Anna came alone at first and explained their situation, and assured that Castiel had no desire to overthrow Dean as the leader, they only wanted a place to belong. After a trial period, during which Dean had a chance to judge the siblings didn’t pose a threat and Castiel and Anna could see Dean’s pack wasn’t as bad as their old one, they’ve been accepted and has lived within their ranks for past three years.

Though they’ve been much happier here by their own admission, Dean could notice there was a bitterness and sadness underlining their words whenever they spoke about their old place. They regretted that they couldn’t see their other family members anymore and they only had each other, which explained Castiel’s anger at Anna putting herself in unnecessary danger. In a way Dean could understand him. Out of his entire family now he only had his younger brother, Sam, left as his parents and grandparents have all passed away years ago. If something happened to Sam as well...

But Dean still had the rest of his pack whom he grew up around and who were as close to him as blood family, so it wasn’t _quite_ the same as what Castiel and Anna were going through.

„Nothing happened, don’t worry” Anna assured warmly with a reassuring smile. Then she became serious again and looked at Dean. „He seemed to be moving toward the river when I last caught his scent. That was an hour ago.”

Dean nodded. Now he needed to form a team to follow the Alpha’s trail and Sam was an obvious choice, there was _nobody_ in the whole village he trusted _more_ to have his back both in physical capabilities and emotional connection. „Cas” he said and turned to look at the Alpha to confirm he had his full attention. „We’ll grab Sam and head out together.”

When he first met Castiel after Anna asked permission for her brother to step into the village, Dean was utterly _baffled_. Visually Castiel hardly looked like an Alpha. He had that sharp look and dangerous expression Alphas were capable of using, which he wore almost constantly, but physically he was slim and had little muscle mass; looked more like a _Beta_ than an Alpha. _That_ was the newcomer Alpha who wanted to be part of his pack and Dean worried that he secretly plotted to overthrow him as the leader! Dean almost laughed, but controlled himself. Even if Castiel had no intention to take over the pack, laughing at a stranger Alpha could hurt the man’s pride and lead to completely avoidable confrontation after all. Dean treated Castiel cordially, but remained weary of the Alpha.

As it turned out, however, Castiel truly had no intention of challenging Dean’s position − which was odd, because even some members of the pack questioned if Dean was capable of being the pack’s Alpha when he took over after his father’s passing. Castiel preferred to be left alone and focused on studying nature. Somewhere down the line he joined the old man Bobby as pack’s medic. Bobby wouldn’t admit it, of course, because he was a stubborn son of a bitch who insisted he could handle things on his own, but with each passing year he had more and more trouble to keep up with health issues around the village, and relaxed quite a bit once Castiel started helping him out.

So yeah, Castiel turned out to be a completely harmless for an Alpha.

Or that’s what Dean though until one night a year earlier when a stranger Beta snuck into the village in the middle of night to kidnap a pup. They never found out why she did it. Was it because she couldn’t have pups on her own and desperately wanted one? Or for malicious reasons? Dean’s heard tales about packs that sacrificed pups to the forest spirits they worshiped for good fortune. He always suspected those stories were made up to scare pups into staying near the packs members and away from _real_ dangers, but who knew _for sure_?

The pup’s mother, Bess, was awaken by the cries and saw the Beta running out of her and her mate’s hut with pup in hands. Bess immediately started an alarm. Bess’ mate, Garth, and most Alphas from the village gave chase, but despite their better physique, they couldn’t catch the Beta who proved to be agile and easily avoided their attempts at stopping her.

And she would have _gotten away_ if it wasn’t for Castiel. He was the only Alpha who managed to keep up with the Beta, cut her escape road off, swiftly ripped the pup out of her arms and at the same moment sunk a knife straight into her heat. The Beta was dead before she even hit the ground. Dean remembered witnessing the whole incident like it happened in slow motion. What Castiel lacked in muscularity, he _more than made_ up in speed, agility and perfect knife skills. It was a _good thing_ Castiel had no interest in overthrowing Dean as the pack leader, because he would be a taught opponent to face.

Which made him a perfect addition to the team to deal with the stranger Alpha.

„Wouldn’t it be wiser to take more people with us?” Castiel asked.

A spike of annoyance stabbed at Dean’s heart. With only small amount of troubles he pushed that sensation away and willed himself to calm down. Castiel wasn’t questioning his position as the pack leader, but only this _one_ plan. „A bigger group will be easier to spot” Dean explained his reasoning. „And being three against one will give us enough advantage already.”

Castiel paused for a moment to run Dean’s argument through his mind and finally nodded in agreement. „That sounds reasonable.”

„Okay, let’s collect Sam then.” Dean put away the heavy tools he was using next to the half-carved medicine box and stood up, and Castiel followed along. „Anna” Dean addressed the woman before leaving to search for his brother „tell Alphas around the village to stay alert in case our uninvited guest decided to drop by with a visit. But do it discreetly. We don’t want to cause panic.” Especially after what nearly happened to Gath and Bess’ pup, the villagers were still haunted by that incident.

„You got it” Anna said.

They headed to Sam’s hut where the Alpha was most likely working on new tools and weapons; Sam was always skilled with his hands, even more so than Dean, and split his time equally between hunting and providing items for the villagers. Considering that they had enough meat for two more days, there was no reason for Sam to venture out, so his place was a good place to search in first.

The day was _wonderful_ : warm but not blazing or dry from heat. Perfect for dealing with the intruder, because none of them would be sweating profusely and making it harder to mask their natural scent away from the Alpha’s nose; the element of surprise was _crucial_ when facing an unknown opponent and keeping the danger to minimum. Due to the warm weather all men in the village wore only pants, while women also donned tops that left their stomach uncovered.

Sunlight glimmered through the branches of tall trees scattered around the village, casting bright spots on the hard earthen ground, huts and people going about their day, unaware of the potential threat that snuck into everyone’s lives. As Dean stomped on bare feet through the maze of tightly packed buildings, which he knew by heart after decades of living here, he looked around to take in the various activities. Lisa was sitting cross-legged in front of her place, building a basket with smooth sticks. To the side, half-hidden by their hut, Rufus was showing his young son, Victor, how to properly gut the rabbit they’ve caught together last afternoon; the twelve-year-old boy appeared a bit sickened by the view, but put a brave face on, determined to prove himself mature enough to join Rufus on hunts from now on. There were also Pamela and Ellen carrying two baskets full of mushrooms and wild fruits, having returned from their gathering trip. Familiar mixture of scents hung in the air, intensified by the warm weather: aroma of tree bark, dirt underneath Dean’s bare feet and leaves, grass and fruits combined with natural scents of his people. Not a hint of distress spoiled anyone’s scent. They were at peace and focused on their tasks.

People had had _responsibility_ to protect. But it was more than just a sense of obligation. He _wanted_ to keep them save to the best of his abilities, the way his father did before him.

Three years later Dean could still feel flashes of pain in his heart, though subdued by time, whenever he though about his dad. A hero to the last moment, John died while protecting little Ben, Lisa’s son, from an attack by a small pack of wolves they came across on their trip to collect wood. Due to the fact that Ben’s father died in an accident before the boy was even born, John took it upon himself to provide another parental figure and frequently included Ben in various tasks as Alpha leader. When John noticed wolves, he ordered Ben to run back to the village and call for help while he himself stalled the animals. Ben arrived winded and horrified, but struggling to remain calm in the face of danger as John taught him and he told everyone what happened. Every Alpha capable to helping rushed to the place of the incident, but they were too late to help. John won and chased the wolves away, because even wild beasts were no match to him, but he received countless deep cuts. Although Bobby managed to stop the bleeding, soon infection got into the wounds and John spent his lasts moments in _excruciating_ pain.

For two days Dean wouldn’t leave his spot next to John’s bed, regularly applying medicine Bobby gave him to the wounds in hopes it would get better. Deep down he _knew_ it wouldn’t. And eventually at Dad’s request he did what _had to be done_. He ended his father’s suffering.

Part of him feared the villagers would hate him for what he did. Another part _wished_ they did. However, everyone was so _understanding_ and only showed him _support_ , which frustrated Dean to no end. They should have _shunned_ or _punished_ him for murdering the pack leader. His own father. Logically Dean knew that he made the best choice in an _impossible_ situation, but it took his heart nearly three years to accept that. Wasn’t that what made the true Alpha leader? Making difficult decision when fate gave you only the worst options?

It was daunting to follow in Dad’s footsteps as the pack leader, despite the fact that Dean was prepared to take over the role since he was four-year-old. His entire life Dad taught him various things a true Alpha needed to know, each day put him through increasingly more difficult training to help him develop proper muscularity and skills in hand-to-hand combat. By the time Dad passed away, Dean was prepared − at least theoretically − to any challenge life might threw at him and most villagers accepted him as the knew leader without a problem. But there were few voices of disagreement.

 _Omega_ as Alpha leader of the pack? He would crack under the pressure, no doubt. There was a reason why Omegas gravitated toward housework, because they preferred the peace and safety of their homes. Dean realized it was true to _an extend_. Most Omegas in the village indeed had no desire to hunt or take part in heavy menial tasks and relied on their Alphas partners for those things. But Dean was trained his entire life for leading the pack and knew how to handle pressure.

It was a surprise to everyone when Dean went into heat at age of twelve instead of into rut as expected. After all he was tall, muscular and commanding much like his father, so it was only _natural_ he would present Alpha as well. Once the three days of Dean’s first heat passed, Dad commented that in hindsight they should have seen it coming. Dean could be commanding, yet, but exclusively on subjects he found _important_ ; otherwise he was laid back and willing to let others make decisions for him. Although he went out of his way to help and protect people around him, it came across more as Omega doting rather than Alpha rough protectiveness. Also, Dean had some soft features like plush lips and long eyelashes typical for Omegas.

The matter-of-fact tone Dad spoke in sounded like he was _disappointed_ in Dean over how he presented. To make things worse, he demanded that everyone in the village addressed Dean as an _Alpha_ , enforcing Dean’s guilt for not presenting the _correct_ way. It wasn’t until Dean was well into teens that he confronted Dad about it and the older Alpha explained he had no problem with Dean’s gender, but worried the villagers did and would object to Dean taking over as the pack’s leader. Calling Dean ‘Alpha’ was meant to built in people’s minds a sense of authority from Dean. Whenever Dad’s order had any real result would have remained a mystery, because they had no way of checking it out, but he was right about the opposition Dean received from few individuals after he took over. Frank and Ellen questioned if Sam as a natural Alpha who was raised in the same manner as Dean shouldn’t become the pack’s Alpha. Rufus’ older son, Alpha Gordon, _bragged_ that he’d make a better leader and eventually challenged Dean to a fight for the position. And he lost, which finally shut his mouth and proved to those doubtful that Dean could handle his new role.

Although it seemed to appease the villagers, it worked as another moment that undermined Dean’s confidence. His _own people_ were turning on him. Of course, those were only select individuals, but how were Dean to know for sure other weren’t only staying quiet about their disdain for Dean as the leader and would abandon him when he was at a disadvantage?

Thus Dean started to hide any signs of weakness or doubt he felt. His brother was the only one he trusted to see for advice and even then rarely. Alphas _aren’t suppose_ to be vulnerable, especially pack’s Alphas. It undermined _their_ position and made _everyone_ underneath them vulnerable to attacks. Dean had to remain strong for his own good and others.

From between the wooden buildings emerged Sam’s hut and sure enough, the Alpha was working on some sort of tool Dean didn’t recognize: a long, smooth pole with a rope looped on one end. Must have been an invention of his, because Sam enjoyed killing time by creating new utensils for the villagers, the freaking dork that he was.

Of course, Dean wouldn’t be himself if he didn’t tease his younger brother and the moment Sam lifted his eyes to look at the visitors, Dean said: „What the hell is this suppose to be?” He nodded toward the pole. „Let me guess, a tool for finally catching yourself a spouse? Well, Sam, maybe if you weren’t such a huge dork, they wouldn’t be avoiding you.”

Sam’s face morphed into displeased expression, one of his bitchfaces he uses almost exclusively toward Dean. Nobody else seemed to be capable of annoying him like Dean. „Do you have a reason to be here or did you come over just to waste my time, as usual?” Sam shot back, his natural scent of old paper and mint − rather unusual aroma for an Alpha − turning sour with annoyance.

Their back and forth could have gone for a long time, which Dean couldn’t help with; it was _so much fun_ to see his usually calm brother getting increasingly annoyed by simple, obvious teasing. Castiel was fully aware of that, having witnessed their countless arguments, which was probably why he responded before Dean managed: „Stranger Alpha wandered into the pack’s territory.”

In an instant Sam’s anger vanished with his expression and scent growing underlined by worry. He stood up, put away the tool he was working on next to two identical ones braced against the hunt’s front wall and turned to face the other two men. „What’s the plan?” he asked.

Breaching packs’ territory borders was considered a _serious_ offence and choice of punishment for it rested fully in leaders’ hands. Dean was even allowed to _kill_ the intruder in order to ensure safety of his people. However, that solution could easily backfire − it was possible the intruder’s pack members or family would show up to cause more problems in response − and needed to be used cautiously. Since he was a pup Dad taught him to carefully weight the pros and cons of any solution within the context of the situation. ‘ _Only a fool of a leader acts without thinking_ ’ he repeated each time he presented Dean a theoretical problem that could happen while he was taking care of the pack and challenged him to find the best resolution. As the years passed and Dean gained more experience from observing Dad and listening to his teachings, he became better at giving answers that satisfied the older Alpha. Though Dad would frequently compliment Dean’s responses, he would always repeat that those were _theoretical_ scenarios and Dean had to be aware that in _real life_ the best theoretical solution might not work, because human nature sometimes defied logic.

What has actually happened so far? Some Alpha has wandered into their land, left his scent all over the place for Anna to follow it and apparently headed toward the river. Dean had no bases to believe the Alpha was a genuine threat, only a theoretical one and theory didn’t always measure to the reality. Of course, the intruder had to know he entered another pack’s land. Each and every day Alphas from the village, guided by Dean, walked around their territory to leave scent marks on trees all over the forest as markers, so unless the stranger had no sense of smell − basically unheard of among Alphas and Omegas, uncommon among elderly Betas − he was fully aware of the breach.

The villagers were still itchy from that night a Beta tried to steal Garth and Bess’ pup, so they needed to deal with the problem as fast as possible. But the wisest solution would be to _question_ the Alpha. If he was a wandered without a pack or he somehow missed all the scent marks, killing him would be an overreaction and Dean didn’t want to have a blood of someone innocent on his hands. But there was also a possibility the Alpha was spying on them for his own people, perhaps in preparation for attack to take over the land, and in that case they needed to get all information out of him on the subject.

Having a chit-chat with unknown Alpha who had unknown motives in the middle of the forest, out in the open where they were an easy target, would be a stupid move. „We need to bring him to the village for questioning” Dean decided. „Find out why he’s here, if there’s any danger from his pack to us.”

„Doubtful he’ll to accompany us in his own choice” Castiel pointed out.

„Then we capture him and _make_ him come.” Which was a far less appealing outcome, but their safest option. It brought the threat of physical confrontation and injuries to all three of them, not to mention the Alpha himself, though that was of secondary concern to Dean.

Sam bit his lower lip in cautious excitement that also seeped into his natural aroma. He grabbed one of the long sticks he worked on when Dean and Castiel arrived and brought it up to give them a better look. From this close Dean noticed the rope tied in a big loop on one end was pulled through a ring that secured it to the pole and continued upwards to a series of hooks, being attached to the lowest with another, smaller loop. „This might help out with restraining him” Sam professed. Before either of the men could ask for explanation, he spoke on his own: „I wanted to create something to help on the hunts, something that could restrain the prey so it wouldn’t run away but also wouldn’t be able to get close to cause any harm. You put this rope” he lifted the end with large loop „around the animal’s neck and tighten it here” he pulled on the small loop, reducing the big one’s size, and pulled it under the further hook, securing it in place. He flipped the stick in his hand and yanked on the big loop, but despite the bulging of muscles in his arm, he couldn’t stretch it back out. „There’s no way to break free. And the stick is hard enough it won’t break without a major force. I called this” Sam passed Dean the tool „a Catch Pole.”

Dean carefully examined the tool, pulling on the hooks and rope to check their firmness, an admiration for his brother’s work growing in his chest. For how much he teased Sam and his dorky attitude, the Alpha was skilled with his hands and had a brain to boot to create some useful things for the benefit of the village. Frank and Ellen had a point that Sam would make a great pack leader.

The pleasant warmth swelling his chest in admiration for Sam’s skills was quashed by the worry and insecurity that became a constant part of his life ever since some people threw his position into question. He needed to stop _wasting time_ and _focus_ on the problem at hand. He finished checking the Catch Pole and it’s quality, ensuring the intruder indeed wouldn’t be able to break out of it. If things went well, he’d prefer to take the Alpha prisoner instead of killing, but they had to take every precaution possible. Not only for their own sake, but also the villagers.

„Alright, let’s give these things a shot” Dean agreed, firmly gripping onto the pole in his hands and nodding toward the remaining two, still braced against the hut wall. „But let’s also take some weapons, just to be sure.”


	2. Hunt

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello?
> 
> Is anyone still here?
> 
> I know it took me an obscene amount of time to finish the second chapter and post it, but for several months I was drained by work and the thing happening around the world I don't even want to talk about because I'm so sick of it. I have full intention to at least finish this story. Hopefully, I'll be able to find enough energy to get back to writing regularly, because I very much enjoy it and sharing those stories with you, guys. We'll see how the situation unfold, though.
> 
> For now enjoy this chapter! Let me know what you think!

Forest was filled with the usual sounds and scents Dean knew by heart: chirping of birds high on the treetops, swooshing of leaves on the gentle breeze, stench of various animals that passed by in search of food and the ever-present aromas of bare dirt and plants that grew thickly around him, providing a good protection from spying eyes. His senses of hearing and smell, heightened compared to those of Betas, allowed Dean to catch the tiniest hint of danger in his immediate surrounding, something that could make the difference between living and dying. For all its beauty, nature was ruthless and only those most adapted to survival could withstand the constant challenges it threw at them.

Each and every odd sound and smell he couldn’t immediately recognize caused Dean to freeze in place and carefully examine them, not only out of fear − _concern_ , Dean corrected himself, _the pack’s Alphas aren’t afraid, they’re_ concerned _for their people’s safety_ − of being jumped by the stranger Alpha they’ve been tracking, but also by any other beast lurking in the forest. The pain of losing his father might have faded in Dean’s heart or at least became easier to tolerate, but the image of John mauled by wolves, bloody, covered in cuts and barely breathing, remained as fresh in his memories as the day he saw it. Dean needed to remain focused for everyone’s sake, the same way he was certain Sam and Castiel who followed in his steps did. He chose to bring them along for a reason. They were among the best and most skilled Alphas in the village, always fully committed to the task at hand, whenever it was preparing medicine and tools or hunting.

Dean glanced back to confirm Sam was following behind to his right and Castiel to his left in a triangle-shaped formation; it allowed them to better scour the grounds and spaced them out enough so that in case one of them was attacked, the other two were out of the harm’s way and could immediately jump in to fight off the aggressor. Concentration painted both men’s faces and when Sam scanned the area around them, his eyes briefly met Dean’s and there was sharp focus in them. Dean nodded at his brother to continue the good work and looked back ahead.

They’ve been close to the Black Rock where Anna scented the stranger originally and they had to stay on their toes. It was likely they’d be able to scent the Alpha if he was still nearby, but there were ways for people to mask their scents. Instinctively, Dean reached down to confirm a large container of water that hung from a leather belt strapped around his waists was still there; Sam and Castiel had one each as well. Half of the time he was worried the container fell off and neither of his companions noticed, but they needed it to remain hidden from the stranger’s nose for as long as possible.

At last between the thick labyrinth of trees Dean noticed fragments of gray color, which caused his heart to harden in tense anticipation. He faltered to take a deep, calming breath and fix his resolve, then continued his journey until he emerged into a small opening where the Black Rock rested.

It wasn’t actually black, but dark gray and partially covered in moss. Half an hour to the North stood a small mountain made entirely out of this type of rock and judging by the way ground slightly tilted between those two spots, Dean suspected centuries ago this piece detached from its original formation and rolled all the way down to rest here, providing one of important points of reference the villagers used to find their way around the forest.

The gentle breeze was moving toward their group, carrying various smells along. Dean raised his nose up and scented the air, fishing for any unfamiliar aromas. Bare dirt... wild flowers... grass and bushes... moss... Nothing he wasn’t accustomed to by now. It’s been at least an hour since Anna has caught the Alpha’s trail, so most of it must have dissipated, but hopefully they still could find some hints of it to follow. Worst case scenario, Dean would collect more people from the village and organize a proper search. He preferred to avoid spreading the information about the uninvited guest for now, though.

He glanced back at Sam and Castiel, both watching out for potential dangers lurking in their surroundings and awaiting his decision. „Search for trails” he ordered.

They nodded and split away, wandering away to the sides, staying on alert the whole time. Satisfied with their professionalism, Dean headed toward the Black Rock to investigate there. He stomped carefully to avoid making too much noise, looking out for sticks scattered on the ground that would snap under his bare feet; he moved his eyes from spot to spot and sniffed the air subtly. The weight of Catch Pole in his left hand and small weight of hunting knife fastened to the same belt container of water was attached to provided comfort that soothed his tense heart and allowed him to breath steadily. They were prepared to deal with the Alpha. They could mask their scents to remain hidden from his sense of smell. They had tools to restrain him. And even kill if the situation demanded it.

It wasn’t so much his own safety Dean was worried about, but Sam and Castiel’s. The memories of that awful night when a Beta snuck into their village and nearly kidnapped one of the pups flooded his mind despite how much he struggled to keep them away. He remembered how his heart hammered in cold panic as he chased after the Beta through the night, watching helplessly as she put more and more distance between them with each passing second. He remembered the horrifying thought that she was _going to get away_ and they’d never see the pup again. If Castiel wasn’t with them...

After that incident worry seeped into Dean’s heart that perhaps Frank and Ellen _were right_ he wasn’t fit to be the pack Alpha. Dad wouldn’t allow the situation to get this far. For sure he would get to the Beta before she even put a foot outside of the village, he would save the day on his own.

No. Dad told him on numerous occasions that a part of what makes the true pack Alpha was ability to judge the situation properly and pick the best people for every job, which meant they didn’t have to take care of everything themself. The pack Alpha didn’t have to be self reliant all the time. Dean _knew_ that, should always be aware of that. But the knowledge _some_ of his people didn’t trust him to fulfil his obligations just because he was an Omega...

With a shake of his head Dean pushed away those troubling thoughts and focused fully on the task at hand once more. The last thing he needed right now, out in the open and searching for an intruder, was a distraction. No better way to prove Frank and Ellen _correct_ than getting mauled because he wasn’t paying proper attention.

The Black Rock stood two feet higher than him and as he closed in on it, Dean glanced upward to check if anyone − or anything − wasn’t perched atop of it, ready to strike the moment he got within a range. He haven’t noticed any figure perched up on the boulder and from experience knew it was difficult to climb due to the moss covering most of it, but he’d rather be safe than sorry. Once he confirmed no immediate danger was lurking at him from above, he started circling the rock, scenting the air for any remains of the stranger Alpha’s smell and scanning the ground, and nearby greenery for a potential trail.

He’s reached the other side of the Black Rock and was about to circle it from the other side when he noticed few broken sticks and underneath each of them an indentation. Walking over to the spot, he confirmed those indentations were _footprints_ , way too big to belong to Anna. Unfortunately, further down the ground was covered in small, smooth rocks and the trail disappeared. Perhaps there was still some scent lingering around the forest? Dean took a deep breath—

And the most _mouthwatering_ aroma he’s ever smelled filled his nose. Almost completely _gone_ , barely a _hint_ of it still clung to the trees and ground, but it was _enough_ to sent Dean’s body into overdrive. His heart sped up, temperature of blood running through his veins heated up. He _greedily_ inhaled again, desperate for another hit of this _wonderful drug_ he just discovered, wanting to identify and catalogue to his mind every smallest ingredient that made it.

The very core of the aroma was _honey_ ; during summer whenever one of the villagers spotted a beehive in the woods, Alpha Cain, who had an experience in handling bees, would collect some of it and split it between villagers. Because it was so sparse, Dean made sure to eat his portion slowly, savoring every bite of bread slice covered in a thin layer of honey every morning for several days. What brought the essence of that sweet smell forward was another scent that reminded Dean of fresh pepper from Ellen’s garden, but more intense with a hint of burn to it. Once Ellen told him about a spicy version of pepper from far away lands she tasted, _jalapeno_ , which had a similar flavor to the one Dean was smelling. And to top that amazing mixture was an intense addition of _pure Alpha musk_ , which penetrated both scents and pulled them together into captivating whole.

A desire to follow this perfume awoke inside Dean’s very being. Those were mere leftovers, mostly aired out by chill breeze running through the forest, and he wanted to take a whiff of the fresh thing.

„Dean?” a confused voice came from behind.

As if snapped from a deep slumber, Dean blinked and turned around to face Sam. The view of concern darkening his brother’s features slowly brought reality crushing down on him.

That amazing smell, which remains still _teased_ his nostrils in the most wonderful way even as his mind was overtaken by horrible realization... That smell belonged to the _stranger Alpha_ they set to hunt down and bring to the village for interrogation. For all Dean knew the intruder was out to cause serious troubles and one whiff of the faintest remains of his natural aroma caused Dean to temporarily forget what he was doing in the first place. How would the _fresh thing_ affect him? Now that he needed to remain fully focused not only for his own safety, but also his brother and Castiel’s.

Shortly after his first heat Dad explained to Dean the concept of finding a perfect mate − or ’ _true_ _mates_ ’ destined to be together as some villagers said, but Dad scoffed at the notion, accusing it of undermining the hard work that went into making a relationship successful. Apparently when you came across a perfect partner, you’d know instantly because it would hit you like lightning. „ _Don’t try to find logic in mating_ ” Dad warned him. „ _Me and your Mom, we_ hated _each other at first. It took many months before we were able to hold a normal conversation and slowly she became my best friend. We were so happy until her death._ ” Soft, nostalgic smile brightened Dad’s face as he reminisced about Dean’s mother, Mary, whom passed shortly after Sam’s birth due to complication; Dean had only vague, detached images of her floating in his memory and yet, he knew she made Dad happy. Ever since that conversation with Dad, Dean fantasized about meeting his perfect mate.

It was just his _luck_ the potentially dangerous intruder would turn out to be that person.

„Dean, what’s wrong?” Sam pressed on, the concern deepening on his face. Behind him Castiel stopped the search and walked over to them, his eyebrows drawn together in confusion.

The instinctive response that appeared in Dean’s mind was to cut the search short, return to the village and then send Sam and Castiel out again with someone who wouldn’t be affected by the stranger’s scent. Dean even opened his mouth to say just that...

But another thought made him pause with words stuck at the tip of his tongue. The time needed to walk back and forth would cause the scent trail to dissipate further to the point Sam, Castiel and his replacement might not find it again. Was it really necessary for Dean to step down? As the leader of his pack, it was vital for him to not be scared away by the first hint of problems. Besides, he’s already planned out the strategy for catching the Alpha and bringing him safely to the village using the methods he and his people relied on _many times_ in the past without a slip. That mesmerizing scent... Dean shouldn’t even be affected by it if he took good enough care to dump his sense of smell.

„I found a trail” he explained to his companions and waved his hand toward the footprints on the ground. „There’s also some scent still lingering in the air.”

Both men lowered their eyes to assess the impressions, then they rose their heads up to take a good, deep whiff. Sam nodded. „Definitely not one of us” he confirmed. „I’ve never smelled anyone like this.”

„Neither have I” Cas added. „They’re not from my old pack either.”

Once they confirmed that, they stared at Dean, awaiting his signal to follow the trail. It was the time for him to decide whenever to return to the village for now or press on. Was he capable of withstanding this _wonderful, most delicious_ —

Dean decisively cut that train of thoughts off and inhaled deeply to try the scent again. Still, it was the _best_ thing he’s ever smelled in his entire life, but it didn’t cloud his mind like a minute earlier, now that he knew what to expect. He was simply taken off guard, that’s it. As old images of Frank and Ellen questioning his competence as the pack Alpha resurfaces in his memory, Dean squeezed the Catch Pole in his hand harder, determination surging through his veins like a drug. He wasn’t just some random guy. He was the _toughest sunofabitch_ there was in his entire village, that’s why he managed to keep his role as the packAlpha despite the opposition he’s faced. And even those who doubted him at first eventually came around. Because he _showed them_ what he was truly made of.

He could fucking handle this smell and capture the Alpha just fine, thank you very much.

Straightening his back to regain sense of authority, Dean glanced at Sam and Castiel, both thrown off by his lengthy silence but also patiently awaiting what he’d say. „Okay, let’s do this” he decided and was proud to note a confidence in his voice. „Stay on your toes.”

Castiel gave a short nod without any questioning, but Sam continued staring at Dean for a couple more seconds, not buying that Dean was fine. Judging by his expression, he expected Dean to explain his earlier hesitation, which only worked to strengthen Dean’s determination to carry on. He defiantly looked back at Sam. „Are you coming or not, Sam?” he snapped. „We don’t have all day. You can keep staring at my face when we get back.”

The doubtful expression Sam was wearing weakened, undermined by a flash of embarrassment as if Sam briefly forgotten they weren’t wandering around the forest for recreation. „Right” Sam murmured, fixing his grip on a Catch Pole he was carrying. „Let’s go.”

They headed in the direction where the stranger’s scent pointed, more weary than before. Each step they took was carefully practiced to make as little noise a possible through years of experience in wandering around the forest. At first Dean needed to pace himself, pausing every once in awhile to rediscover the barest hints of Alpha’s natural aroma almost completely lost underneath the omnipresent smells of plants and dirt surrounding them. But the further they got from the village, the easier it was to follow; Dean was somewhat relieved when he realized the Alpha was indeed moving away from his people. Not matter what their real motives were, even the most innocent, Dean was more at ease knowing they weren’t anywhere near those he swore to protect.

Eventually the trail grew strong enough Dean didn’t have to strain his sense of smell to catch it anymore and he confidently followed after it, keeping his ears and eyes focused. His reaction to the aroma, thankfully, weakened. Although he still felt desire surging through his veins and his heart longed for Dean to bury his nose in the Alpha’s neck where it would be the strongest, he managed to stay clearheaded and in full control of his own actions. It was just the matter of getting used to the smell, that’s all.

Whenever he glanced backwards at his companions, he noticed how increasingly more tense they grew the further they got, their senses sharp and on high alert, their grasps on the Catch Poles tightening the stronger Alpha’s scent became.

A steady sloshing of water from the nearby river reached Dean’s ears − Anna was right, the Alpha headed there − when he decided to stop. The wonderful aroma of honey, jalapeno and musk hung thick in the air, filling his nostrils to the brim. From its intensity Dean deduced the stranger had to pass through this spot very recently, maybe ten minutes ago, which meant he was close by. But first, they had to prepare before continuing or their own smells would betray their arrival.

He turned around to give Sam and Castiel a silent nod. As both of them reached for their containers with water, Dean unstrapped his own from his belt, squat down over a bare patch of ground and poured the liquid onto it; Sam and Castiel followed suit. The water soaked in immediately, creating three pools of mud. A perfect tool to mask their natural scents.

Dean collected of handful of mud, which seeped from between his fingers, slapped it over his chest and rubbed it around his bare skin; the material felt grainy and scratchy, but also nicely cool in the warm summer weather. Most importantly, though, the scent of wet dirt overpowered Dean’s sense of smell, quashing the scents of his two companions and the stranger’s mesmerizing aroma. For the first time in the past half an hour Dean was able to take a refreshing lungful of air and clear his head. _Good_. Now he’d be able to concentrate on the task at hand without any distractions. Regardless of how amazingly he smelled, the Alpha was a potential danger to his people and Dean had to be ready to do what was necessary to ensure everyone’s safety. He did what was right with his own _father_ and he wouldn’t back down for a _stranger_.

Having previous experience from countless hunts they participated in, they efficiently covered their entire bodies in mud up to including pants, hair and beards; it’d be a bitch to clean out later, but what to do? They poured water in several sequences, just enough to create a new pool of mud each time without wasting liquid by making it soak too deep into the ground where they couldn’t use it.

In less than two minutes they were ready. Time was of the essence when relying on this method. Eventually the mud would dry out and allow their scents to seep through again, so they had to move quickly.

Dean straightened back up and fastened the now empty container back onto his belt next to a spare rope he brought, his two companions mimicking his moves. He met Sam’s eyes and with commanding gesture beckoned his head to the right, then glanced at Cas and repeated the same gesture to the left, sending them to retake their positions on either side of him. They’ve discussed the strategy for capturing the Alpha back in the village. They’ve been together out on hunts frequently and grew accustomed to reading each other’s body language better than anyone else’s in the village. They didn’t need words to communicate when in the field. Another advantage they had over the stranger Alpha: element of surprise, lack of scents and utterly silent cooperation.

Now they’ve entered a full hunter mode, weary of the smallest move around them and the quietest sound that felt out of place for the forest. The mud camouflage worked a bit like a double-edged sword: the Alpha couldn’t smell them, but they weren’t able to catch his scent either from afar. It didn’t matter, though, with the three of them keeping an eye on each other. Nobody could sneak up on them nor hear them coming.

As they slipped through the forest, the noise of water rushing in the river ahead increased, one by one overpowering steady whooshing of leaved up in the trees and distant cries of birds. Soon Dean caught first glimpses of rocky shore emerging from between labyrinth of thick trees and with every step he took a wider part of it grew visible to his eyes.

Then he noticed him.

 _The intruder_.

Heart jolted in Dean’s chest as he pounced behind the nearest tree trunk located on the verge of the shore, his feet landing on the spot where forest dirt and small, smooth rock making the beach met, making it uncomfortable to stand with bare feet, but he simply clenched his jaw and persevered. He quickly glanced to each side to confirm Sam and Castiel found their own hiding spots, silent as he was. With that he carefully peaked out past the tree to study the Alpha.

He was knelling by the riverbank, rhythmically collecting water in his cupped palms and lifting it up to drink. From the place Dean stood he wasn’t able to see the man’s face, but he could judge his posture and like most Alphas he was well-built, firm muscles in his thick arms and firm back bulged with every movement. A pair of worn-out pants provided some modesty for him. That, combined with numerous faded, old scars and few new ones on the Alpha’s body, suggested he was a drifter. Scars were nothing unusual when living in a forest and even a simple venture for firewood could give you several, but rarely has Dean seen so many clearly visible ones on anyone; the only person he could think of that frequently had fresh scars was his late father, John, the brave leader who always led other Alphas during hunts and jumped into action first when anyone needed protection.

Dean felt some of the worry that held his heart ease out. Drifter was decent news. Drifter meant the Alpha probably didn’t care to cause problems to his pack and simply struggled to survive.

Still, he couldn’t be certain that was the case. John wasn’t a lone wolf, he was pack’s leader and shared similar appearance to the stranger. For all they knew the Alpha could’ve been a particularly fierce warrior. They had to capture and bring him back to the village for questioning as they planned. No risk was acceptable when it came to pack’s safety.

A soft rattle of rock rolling on the ground to his right, barely audible over sloshing of water, reached Dean’s ears and he instinctively pulled behind the tree, just in time for a vicious growl to resound from the spot where the stranger was kneeling. Dean glared at Sam who glanced back apologetically, otherwise still as a log. The Alpha’s growling lowered into a threatening rumble, but Dean wasn’t too worried. He _couldn’t_ know they were here, their scents were hidden from him. If he went to check the noise, he would simply walk into a trap.

Seconds passed and the growling slowly died down. Dean tightened his grip on the catch pole and he saw Sam do the same as they awaited what the stranger would do.

After a moment of silence the Alpha snorted dismissively, presumably figuring it was just an animal.

Dean listened intently for the sound of footsteps on the gravely shore, but nothing came up, meaning the Alpha remained on the spot. He cautiously peaked out from behind the tree, ready to spring up to action if he was spotted, and confirmed the man has indeed turned back to the water, now splashing it over his face and shoulders, soft gasps of relief slipping from his mouth whenever the cool liquid made the contact. His voice was deep, guttural and briefly the memory of Alpha’s smell resurfaced in Dean’s mind: sweet, thick honey mixed with jalapeno and musk that perfectly fit those sounds he was making right now.

It took a small bit of concentration and force for Dean to suppress that alluring memory. _What a disgrace for pack’s leader_ , he chastised himself. _Acting like a bitch in heat over some intruder’s scent. Dad would never fall so low._

Any weakness in his body vanished at the self-scolding. It was time to strike, now that they had the perfect opening.

Dean signaled both Sam and Cas with a simple nod, then took a slow, silent breath and stepped out into the opening. His eyes zeroed onto the Alpha’s back and his muscles tensed, readying to jump into action if the stranger even started turning around. Each step he glanced down to ensure he put his foot on the large, stationary stones that wouldn’t move around so much and avoided walking on the smaller ones, but he always quickly looked back at the Alpha, his heart rising higher up in his chest the shorter the distance between them became. Thankfully, with Sam’s newest invention in hand he had to get only close enough to fasten the rope around stranger’s neck.

The Alpha splashed the cool water over his face for the last time, rubbing it into his skin and beard. When the man rested forearms on his tights and raised his face to the warm sunlight, Dean knew he would stand up any moment. But the distance between them was still too big for Dean to use the Catch Pole. As the Alpha rose up from the ground and started to turn around, Dean tightened his grip on the tool and in a hasty decision rushed ahead toward the intruder.

Dean caught a glimmer of realization in the man’s eyes and briefly noted how handsome he was - ragged Alpha features, beard with graying bit on the chin - before he swiftly cast the rope around his neck.

Shocked snarl came from behind the Alpha’s teeth he exposed in anger as he instinctively grabbed onto the rope to pull it off. Dean _yanked_ on the other end and fastened it to the furthest hook on the pole, securing the contraption in place and leaving the stranger to fumble helplessly.

Now that the intruder was partially incapacitated, Sam and Castiel jumped out of their hiding places, hurrying to help Dean with their own Catch Poles pointed toward the stranger. Once the Alpha noticed their presence, he growled and doubled his efforts to get free. He _jerked_ back, dragging Dean few steps forward. Damn, was he _strong_! Dean’s Omega strength, even with all the regular exercises he did, was no match for Alphas’ raw power. Although the rocks covering the shore scratched painfully against the soles of his feet, Dean stubbornly held onto the equipment and tried to stand his ground.

Realizing that pulling wouldn’t get him anywhere, the Alpha changed his tactic by grabbing a hold of the pole and _charging_ ahead. The sudden switch in force caused Dean to stumble backwards and nearly lose his balance, sending his heart up his throat, but he managed to catch himself at the last second. As a reward for his effort, he felt the end of catch pole _stab_ him in the chest between ribs and he _yelped_ in pain; it would bruise later for sure. „Give up!” he commanded with as much authority as he could muster. „It’s three against one! You have no chance!”

Sam finally stepped close enough to throw and tighten his own rope around the Alpha’s neck, but Dean’s hopes it would give them an advantage were quickly dashed. The Alpha barely spared a glance at his brother before he spread his palms apart on Dean’s pole for better grip and with all the force he was capable off - muscles on his arms and chest straining to their limits underneath his hardened skin - he _jerked_ Dean toward Sam.

Once again Dean attempted to regain his balance, but a bad step twisted his right ankle and he _slammed_ onto Sam, sending both of them crashing to the ground as pole slipped out of his hands.

The force of the fall _knocked_ the breath out of his lungs and caused a spiderweb of black dots to _explode_ in front of his eyes. Dean shook his head and blinked rapidly, struggling to get up, but a thudding pain in his shoulder send him back onto the rocky shore. Slowly his vision returned and he became aware of the commotion happening next to him. Sam somehow managed to hold onto his own pole, even as he laid down on his chest and the snarling Alpha _dragged him_ across the ground, causing the sharp rocks to cut on his exposed skin. Sam winced and gritted his teeth, but was slowly loosing the battle. Dean saw the catch pole slipping out from his clutched fingers. Any moment the Alpha would break free.

Dean rolled over the sharp rocks onto his good arm and _hauled_ himself to a kneeling position. Quickly he scattered over to Sam and reached for the tool that at last escaped from his brother’s hands—

Just as the stranger’s angry snarling suddenly cut off.

Nothing disturbed the silence around them except for steady sloshing of water in the river and his and Sam’s heavy breathing. Confused, they both looked up toward the Alpha.

And there, standing tall right in front of the stranger, was Castiel. A knife in his hand shined in the sunlight slipping through the tree branches as he held the blade firmly pressed against the other man’s throat, forcing his head up. Castiel’s expression spoke of cold determination.

From his position on the ground Dean was able to spot when the stranger tensed his arms just out of Castiel’s view, readying to strike, and he opened his mouth to shot a warning. „Don’t!” Castiel growled before Dean could get a word out and pressed the blade harder against the Alpha’s throat, which forced his head even higher; a crimson droplet poured from the spot knife met the skin and travelled down toward the stranger’s clavicle, leaving a bloody trail behind. „I assure you that I can end you life faster than you can disarm me” Castiel warned. „Surrender now and have a chance at living.”

Seconds passed as they awaited the stranger’s decision. Dean and Sam remained completely still on the ground, not even daring to reach out for the catch pole laying mere inched in front of them, worried that the smallest move on their part would needlessly aggravate the situation when they were so close to victory. Heart _hammered_ in Dean’s chest. Would he be able to get up fast enough if the stranger tried to fight back anyway? Would Castiel really have to end the man’s life before Dean even had an opportunity to even speak with the owner of such wonderful smell?

Finally, the stranger relaxed and slowly lowered his arms to rest harmlessly against his sides, but his expression remained stone hard. He might’ve been submitting to them for the moment, but his spirit remained _fierce_ and _stubborn_. A true Alpha.

Of course there was always a threat that he would change his mind and try to fight back anyway, so Dean decided to not give him enough time for that. He collected himself from the ground, ignoring a burning sensation in numerous cuts and bruises he sustained, and headed toward the two men. Behind him Sam also carefully got up while collecting the catch pole still attached to the Alpha’s neck.

Despite the mud dampening Dean’s sense of smell, from up close he was able to catch a faint hint of stranger’s scent as he stepped behind him. However, he pushed away the desire awaking in his veins before it could get out of hand. „Grasp your hands behind your back” he ordered and after a brief display of defiance the Alpha followed his order.

As Dean tied his wrist and then biceps together with a spare rope, securing the stranger’s arms firmly in place, the Alpha gave out low, warning _growls_ as if he still posed a genuine threat to his captors. Posturing was an instinctive Alpha behavior designed to make enemies lose confidence and leave themselves more vulnerable to eventual strike. Although said posturing could get annoying at times of peace, in extreme circumstances it was known to save lives. Dean himself witnessed in the past how his own father was able to drive away dangerous animals like a lone wolf or a _bear_ by growling loudly and making himself look bigger than he actually was.

Of course it didn’t do much to save him when he was faced by an entire pack of wolves.

A faint pain that bothered Dean whenever he allowed himself to think about his father’s death flared in his heart like a lash from a whip. „Yeah, yeah” Dean sneered, tying the final knot in place with more force than was necessary. „You’re a big, bad wolf, alright.” That comment earned him an even louder growl in response. He made sure the rope kept the stranger’s arms firmly in place and then stepped in front of him to meet his challenging gaze. „You wandered into our territory, so you’re coming with us for a questioning. Behave.” He could posture, too.

Dean picked his dropped catch pole from the ground while Castiel secured his own to the prisoner’s neck. They split up with Dean taking a spot to the prisoner’s right, Sam to his left and Castiel following behind him. If he tried to attack any of them, the other two would be able to subdue the man without a hitch. In this formation they headed back toward the village, walking in focused silence, as Dean tried to ignore the stranger’s hard, heated stare focused on him. In his mind he could still see the defiance reflecting in the Alpha’s eyes when their gaze met briefly.

Sure, Dean understood the purpose of Alpha posturing and part of him even admired it. But never before had he found it so _irresistible_.

 _Fuck_ , what was he going to _do_?


	3. Benny

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so long for the third chapter to come out, but hey, it wasn't nearly as bad as with the second chapter. Enjoy!

The return trip passed without bigger issues.

Although their prisoner obediently walked in the direction they led him in, every now and then he would struggle against the binds, straining muscles in his arms and chest, and clenching his jaw in determination, only to give up with frustrated huff. Dean watched those hopeless attempts at escaping with impassive eyes when his heart was anything _but_ impassive. This Alpha was a _fighter_ , he had to be to survive on his own if Dean’s assumption of him being a drifter were correct. A hint of pride simmered in Dean’s heart and spread warmly throughout his body.

He tried to fight that sensation, to no luck. As a pack’s leader he _shouldn’t_ be so infatuated by a prisoner, his mind reminder him on repeat. However, his heart _refused_ to give up. Much like the stranger who struggled against firm binds, Dean stubbornly pushed back and encountered a firm wall each time.

And he didn’t bother to admit how screwed he was until the stranger tripped. It wasn’t a surprise, considering the Alpha couldn’t see the ground in front of him properly with three ropes around his neck keeping his head up and was frequently got distracted by failed attempts to escape. They’ve been about halfway through the forest, near the Black Rock, when suddenly the Alpha gave out a surprised yelp and Dean glanced at him just in time to see him falling forward.

Instinctively, Dean grabbed tighter onto the catch pole as did Sam and Castiel, which caused the ropes to dig into the prisoner’s throat − a pained yelp slipped through his clenched teeth and his face flashed red − but also prevent him from falling on his face. The Alpha landed gracelessly on his knees and stabilized himself in place. Dean and his two companions eased the ropes to allow him to breath freely, revealing angry marks left on the man’s skin.

That view briefly awoke guilt in Dean’s heart. He didn’t want to cause needless harm to the stranger, especially now that he was at their mercy. „You okay there?” he asked and stepped closer to the fallen man.

He reached out to help the Alpha stand up, but the instant his hand closed around his arm, the Alpha yanked it free and gave out a warning growl, his eyes steel hard as he stared at Dean. Once the sound died in his throat, the Alpha moved his right leg and braced his foot on the ground, then lifted himself up, huffing and with his muscles shaking from the effort, but eventually he managed to get up on his own. The look of triumph was probably meant to intimidate Dean. It didn’t. Instead the whole scene caused Dean’s chest to swell in pride and he had to take a deep break to accommodate it as he meet the man’s stare.

Strong, stubborn and proud. An Alpha to the core.

Fuck, Dean had it _bad_ for the man.

Dean’s lack of response to this display of posturing clearly satisfied the Alpha as a smug smile stretched his lips. And that was enough to snap Dean’s out of his emotions. Because _dammit_ , he was the _pack’s Alpha_ and he wouldn’t allow some _trespasser_ to act like this toward him!

Raising his head up high in commanding manner, Dean flashed a hard look toward the man. „If you haven’t made any boo-boo to yourself, then keep going” he said in dismissive tone and watched with wild satisfaction as the smug smile slowly vanished off the Alpha’s face to be replaced by annoyance. Nothing angered Alphas quicker than being spoken to like a pup. Dean would know, he spent most of their childhood and teens annoying Sam with such comments. Just to rub the insult in, he added: „Unless you want me to kiss it to make it feel better?”

The Alpha huffed dismissively to establish some dominance and looked away from Dean, fixing his eyes on the road ahead. Satisfied, Dean resumed his position in the formation and they pressed on.

When they reached the boarders of the village with huts and people wandering about their day coming into their view, the Alpha completely _lost it_. He dug his feet into the ground and started _trashing around_ , desperate roars and growls coming from his throat, making last desperate attempt to escape before he ended up surrounded by a pack of strangers. Dean and Sam had to move in front of the man and _pull_ with all their might on the catch poles just to keep him in place. Feeling the burn in his arms from the effort, Dean clenched his teeth. Fuck, there was so much raw power in this Alpha!

Their scuffle quickly caught attention of the pack members and worried murmurs resounded behind Dean’s back. He glared at the crowd, annoyed nobody had enough brain power to think about helping them out. „Give us a hand here!” he barked toward three Alphas he noticed and they finally rushed to their aid.

Together they managed to drag the crazed prisoner inside the village, slow at first, but as the man winded himself out from the effort, they sped up considerably. Other pack members gathered on two sides of them, forming a line as if they watched some sort of religious procession; among them Dean noticed Anna, a mixture of worry and relief painting her face.

„Where should we take him?” Sam asked out of breath.

There was no designated place to keep prisoners; they usually awaited sentence tied to a pole in the middle of village, but for interrogation Dean would need some privacy. Even though he wasn’t fully down with the idea, considering his reaction to the Alpha’s scent, he answered with confidence: „To my place.”

A hint of doubt glimmered in Sam’s eyes. „Are you sure?”

Fuck, has he noticed something?

„Yes, I’m sure!” Dean snapped back to cover his nervousness. „If I weren’t sure, I wouldn’t have say that! Now, move!” For a moment he was worried Sam would try to argue, but thankfully his brother knew better than to do that with a frenzied prisoner in their hands.

Inside Dean’s hut they transferred the prisoner from his old binds onto a sturdy chair John himself made out of oak, so it would certainly withstand a trashing Alpha. The instant his hands were freed from ropes, the Alpha grabbed onto one of the catch poles still attached to his neck, but with three more people around they had no problem in forcing him against the backrest and firmly tying his arms and torso to the wooden furniture. Dean, Sam and Castiel removed the ropes from around his neck − Dean winced at the faint red marks that marred the skin − and the Alpha took an opportunity to test the knots. When it became abundantly clear he wasn’t going anywhere, he glared at the six of them and relaxed in place.

„Good” Dean commented, nodding in approval. „Since you calmed down, I’ll go clean myself and then we can talk.” A cheeky smile stretched Dean’s lips. „Wait here, won’t you?”

The Alpha lifted his eyebrows like he wanted to ask Dean if he was _real_ with that joke. Well, _screw him_ too.

Dean grabbed a spare pair of pants from a somewhat neatly folded heap in the corner that contained his entire wardrobe − two lose pants and a thin shirt for warmer weather, two thick pants, a jacket, socks and shoes for colder one, about as much clothes as each pack members had − and he walked outside along with everyone else, leaving the prisoner alone. While the three Alphas who helped them drag the stranger wandered away to resume their activities, Sam and Castiel lingered for a bit. Dean paid them no attention as he walked behind his hut towards two barrels full of rainwater, one for drinking and the other one for washing. It was standard way of collecting the water in their village; it saved everyone the hustle of having to drag heavy buckets from the river on daily bases, though they still had to do it occasionally during particularly hot periods when the rain didn’t fall.

By now the layer of mud he put on himself turned into a dry, stiff cover, so the first splash of lukewarm water felt refreshing against his skin. He splashed it generously over his hair, face and neck, then leaned away from the barrel to let the sludge fall on the ground. He didn’t mind getting his hands dirty, but it was always satisfying to clean after a job well done.

„Dean” Sam called from behind.

„Yeah?” he asked absentmindedly, currently occupied with making sure his ears were clean. When the response didn’t come, he looked at his brother and Castiel whom studied him with concern. „What?” he said more aggressively than intended, because he _hated_ having people stare at him like that... like he needed constant help and moral support to complete most basic tasks. And he immediately loathed where this conversation headed. He just _knew_ whatever they wanted to say would piss him off.

„Do you need help with interrogation?”

Yep, he was right. The flames of annoyance awoke in his chest and licked against the bottom of his heart.

„Yeah, I think I can manage on my own, Sam” Dean assured in hard tone. „In case you’ve missed it, I’ve been managing things on my own ever since Dad died. That’s a pretty good indicator I’m _not_ some helpless little Omega, don’t you agree?”

Castiel stepped ahead to stand by Sam’s side like they were setting a battle formation to deal with Dean. As always his expression was mostly blank and difficult to determine, but after knowing him for a long time Dean was able to spot on his face subtle hints of the same concern Sam openly wore. „That’s not why we’re asking. We’re aware you’re a capable leader in normal circumstances, but Sam brought to my attention you’ve been acting off today, ever since you smelled the Alpha’s scent. You seem to have an unusually strong reaction to it.”

Fuck, so they _did_ notice. Dean’s heart sped up in panic and he instinctively wrapped arms around his torso. A memory of Frank and Ellen demanding Sam becomes the pack’s leader instead of Dean popped in his mind. Of course _everyone_ preferred for a biological Alpha to lead them, especially when John did so well beforehand. Dad wouldn’t let some stranger’s smell affect him like this. He was always in perfect control of his base instincts and approached every problem with logical efficiency. Dad was a natural born leader and Dean’s struggled to measure up to him since day one.

Frankly, he was growing _tired_ of fighting the same uphill battle _each and every day_. It was bad enough Frank and Ellen run their tongues whenever Dean gave them the smallest opportunity. Now Dean’s own brother and friend were doubting him?

Annoyance exploded in Dean’s chest, spreading through his veins and consuming the panic at being found out. „So you decided to offer help, because you figured I’d present like a bitch in heat for any random Alpha who happened to smell nice?” he attacked and with satisfaction noticed Sam flinching at his words; Castiel as usual hardly reacted.

Sam shook his head and started: „That’s not what―”

„No, no, I understand. After all I’m just a weak Omega driven by emotions who can’t do anything without fucking it up. Good thing I have two strong Alphas eager to prevent me from accidentally burning the village to the ground.”

„Dean” Castiel spoke in calming tone or at least as calming as he could muster with his monotone way of speaking „as I mentioned, we’re both aware you’re more than capable leader in normal circumstances. However, those don’t appear to be normal circumstances, considering your reaction to Alpha’s scent. That’s why we decided to ask if you perhaps _wished_ for help during the interrogation process.”

The way he put it − they were just _offering_ help − made Dean feel terrible about his reaction, which only agitated his anger. „I can manage it on my own” he spat.

„Alright.” There was no hint of disbelieve in Castiel’s expression or tone. He turned to Sam to say „Let’s head out and get cleaned” and then he walked away, heading in the direction of his hut.

Sam lingered behind, looking at Dean with concern in his puppy eyes and opening his mouth twice to speak, but he shut it each time. Dean _willed_ him internally to go away as well, to keep whatever he wanted to say to himself, because _fucking hell_ , he was _exhausted_ of having to constantly defend his abilities to run the village. Frank and Ellen questioning him on every occasion, other pack members staring at him doubtfully whenever he came up with a new proposition like he didn’t know what he was going. Anger bubbled beneath his skin, filling every fiber of his body and growing stronger with each day.

He didn’t want to scream at Sam, but that’s how it was going to end if he wouldn’t walk away right now.

Thankfully, after a couple of seconds Sam sighed with resignation, gave Dean a final worried look and turned around to head back to his own hut. Tension eased out of Dean’s muscles in waves, leaving him tired and empty.

He stripped out of his dirty pants and hanged them on a small tree growing behind his hut to collect later. Non-sexual nudity wasn’t an issue around the village and people wore clothes at all times mostly out of convenience, so he wasn’t bothered by pack members walking nearby. Dean’s heard stories about packs that viewed it as a huge taboo and Dean would frequently shake his head in disbelieve at that. If you saw one person naked − which was _bound_ to happen between family members with pups who lived together and had limited space to dress in − then you saw everyone naked. There was nothing new to discover there. From what Anna said, she and Castiel grew in such place, which was evident in the fact they both refused to show up naked outside, even for a second, and were clearly uncomfortable whenever their new pack members would strip down. Though that apparently wasn’t the reason they left their old village.

Mud leaked down his bare body and onto the ground with each splash of water. It was the hardest to wash out of his hair, but with some furious scrubbing he managed to remove most of it. Soon he deemed himself as clean as he could get right now and he stood by the barrel, allowing warm sun and breeze to dry the water off his skin. Trying to keep his through from the unpleasant conversation he had with Sam and Castiel, Dean glanced down to look for injuries he sustained during the fight.

One nasty bruise was already forming in the spot where Alpha slammed the end of catch pole against his chest and when Dean pressed a finger against it, he got a faint reminder of sharp pain that he felt back then. But otherwise he received only minor cuts on his right forearm and hip from the fall, and some scratches on the soles of his both feet, none of which were even deep enough to bleed. Nothing that required medical help. And good thing, because he didn’t want to meet Castiel for now.

After two minutes the water dried off Dean’s body, so he pulled a fresh pair of pants on, styled his still damp hair the best he could to prevent them from standing in every direction like Castiel’s once they dried properly and went to start the interrogation.

He paused at the threshold with palm pressed against the closed door and took a deep breath, steeling himself for what awaited him. The Alpha with his delicious scent was locked inside for several minutes, undoubtly struggling to free himself and sweating profusely. He recalled that mouth-watering mixture of jalapeno, honey and musk, and how his body reacted to it, letting the memory of strong desire wash over him and waiting until it weakened to manageable levels.

Then he opened the door and stepped inside.

 _Oh_ _,_ _fuck_.

Dean stopped in place to steady himself and blinked rapidly as if someone sprayed water in his face, because the place was _saturated_ with Alpha’s natural aroma. Only one step past the threshold and he already felt the smell surrounding him from all sides, slipping into his nose and working to reduce his brain to mush.

Instinctively his sight was drawn to the source of that wonderful scent: the ragged, muscular Alpha tied firmly to the chair under the back wall of the hut, waiting for Dean. The Alpha was leaning forward and clearly struggling to pull his arms out of the bind when Dean walked in, but now he straightened up and rose his head in prideful defiance, his expression turning steel hard. _A true Alpha_.

Desire awoke in Dean’s chest and groin, desire to walk over to Alpha, sink onto his knees and nuzzle into his exposed neck, smell that aroma up close, feel the Alpha’s beard scratching against his skin.

But he remained firmly in place, reminding himself of his duty as the pack’s leader. Slowly the yearning weakened and was reduced to little more than stubborn background noise, sort of like a cold that never grew strong enough to put you in bed but still left you feeling sluggish and vulnerable for several days.

Dean closed the door and took several steps toward the Alpha whose eyes carefully followed his every movement. Despite his posturing, he must have been scared of what was going to happen to him. Now that he ceased to be a direct danger to anyone, Dean softened his demeanor a bit. „No reason to worry” he assured. „I just want to talk.” The Alpha smirked in disbelieve, but Dean ignored it. Tying someone up wasn’t the best way to start a discussion, that’s true. „If you answer all my questions, nothing bad will happen to you. So, you gotta name?”

The Alpha continued silently glaring at Dean. When it became clear he had no intention of speaking, Dean stomped over to the man, grabbed him by the hair − not hard enough to cause serious pain, but hard enough to establish dominance − and bend down so their faces were only inches apart. Dean faltered, stunned by the thick smell of jalapeno, honey and musk that filled his nose. However, the annoyance at being _disrespected_ quickly overpowered the desire.

„Listen, buddy!...” he spat out. „You were caught trespassing on my pack’s territory and as the lead Alpha I have the right to chose whatever punishment I see fit for you, so it’s in _your own best interest_ that you start coopering!... Got that?!...”

Seconds passed in a silent stare off.

„Benny” the Alpha finally responded.

Satisfied, Dean straightened up and led go off the man’s hair. But then Alpha’s stubborn expression morphed into one of confusion and he raised his head up to sniff furiously at the air. Dean watched as understanding dawned on Benny and he looked back at Dean with new interest, his pupils expanding and irises darkening. Desire _roared_ back to life in Dean’s body and the realization that this Alpha − _Benny_ − found his smell as tempting as Dean did his made it more difficult for the Omega to regain control this time around.

The forest spirits must have been keeping Dean under their watch, though, because Benny’s following comment helped a lot: „Omega as the pack’s Alpha?” Utter bewilderment in his voice was enough to subdue Dean’s desire.

„Yes, that’s right” Dean confirmed. „I’m the pack leader around here. And the last time I’ve checked, I successfully caught you with my friends.”

Benny’s expression and scent soured, but he nodded, having no base to disagree.

Now that Dean successfully got through his shield of defiance and started a proper conversation, he moved to the main subject. „So, Benny, can you tell my why were you wandering on someone else’s territory like you owned the place?” Before he got a chance to response, Dean quickly added: „And don’t try to sell me bullshit excuse that you didn’t know. There’s scent marks _everywhere_.” It would be one in a million chance that Benny missed all of them, spread around the forest on trees and renewed each day, so Dean didn’t bother to entertain such small probability.

„No, I was aware” Benny admitted freely. „I was just passing by.”

As Dean listened to the man, he realized Benny spoke with an accent, which meant he was from lands far away. Probably even further than Castel and Anna who spoke more or less like the pack members, only with detached, stilted manner that hinted at highly militaristic background neither of them ever bothered to elaborate on and Dean didn’t press for information.

Supposedly Dean’s mother came from a pack that resident beyond the northern mountains and supposedly spoke with an accent as well, according to Dad. Unfortunately, she passed away soon after Sam’s birth due to medical complications when Dean was only four summers old, so he was too young to remember much about her. Everything he knew about Mom came from faint memories and rare occasions Dad would reminiscent on the lost past; he would gather Dean and Sam in his arms, wear that fond expression and tell them in a warm voice how he met Mom during one of the expedition into far corners of their territory near the mountain chain and how at first they couldn’t stand each other, but ultimately she run away from her own pack for to be with Dad when her people wouldn’t accept their mating.

For the next five years Mom − Mary was her name and Dad always said it with the utmost reverence − not only gave Dad some of the happiest moments of his life, but also took good care of other pack members, always ready to lend them a hand. Dean felt torn whenever Dad told them those stories. On one hand he _loved_ seeing Dad happy as he recalled their time with Mom. On the other, he was _ashamed_ that he couldn’t remember anything about his own mother, only a faint recollection of blond hair, wide smile and aroma of apples mixed with mint − two ingredients found in his and Sam’s scent respectively.

As far as his personal experience went, Dean couldn’t recall ever hearing a person speaking with an accent. Once in awhile during evening feasts older pack members would gather pups around a fireplace and tell them stories of far away lands where people lived in different ways from their own, some peaceful, some violent. To represent a foreigner they’d speak by pronouncing words in strange ways, which supposedly contributed an accent as the tellers claimed when questioned by pups. Those were Dean’s only contacts with accents.

At least until now.

Curiosity peaked in Dean’s heart as he watched Benny and took his alluring scent. His words ‘ _Just passing by_ ’ brought a memory of Alpha Bobby describing how those lands where located further than a wolf could run in one day or two or three. To Dean’s impressionable pup mind it sounded as distant as afterlife. „Really?” he responded. „To where?”

Benny shrugged. „Nowhere in particular.” He tried to act casual by keeping his shoulders relaxed and expression neutral, but a faint stench of moss − regret - polluted his natural aroma, betraying his true emotions. There was more to the story.

For a moment Dean was tempted to back out, but the sense of responsibility quickly won out. „What about your pack? You don’t have to return to it?”

The stench of moss intensified and pain flashed on Benny’s features before he schooled them back. „I don’t have a pack” he in a matter-of-fact tone. „Didn’t have one for two winters now.”

Seeing this prideful Alpha sad, Dean felt an ache in his heart. He wanted to reach out and brush his fingers through the man’s hair, assure him that everything was going to be okay...

But he pushed those emotions aside. So he was _right_ , Benny _was_ a drifter and judging by his scent he was telling the truth, which meant Dean’s people weren’t in danger of an attack from another pack. However, that didn’t clear Benny’s name yet. There were many reasons a wolf could be expelled from their own group, ranging from unfair ruling by a tyrannical leader... or as a last ditch effort to get rid of dangerous pack member when other methods of resolving the issue failed. Just because Dean was attracted to this Alpha, didn’t mean he should immediately trust him. The pack’s safety was at stake.

„What happened that you were left alone?” Dean asked.

„I’d rather not speak about it” Benny replied.

„Sorry, Benny, but that’s not an option. I need you to speak up.” Fuck, Dean felt like the _biggest_ _asshole_ for pressing on when the Alpha was smelling more and more of distress with each second. To soften the blow somehow, he explained: „I need to have all information to judge if you’re a threat to my pack.” He hoped Benny understood he wasn’t bothering him for no reason, it was his _duty_ to ask.

Benny closed his eyes and took a deep, calming breath, his face a mask of false indifference betrayed by the mossy stench. Then he started: „I was born in the village located in the mountains far to the South from here and that’s where I lived until two winters ago. It wasn’t the kindest place to be in. Difficult terrain to traverse, limited food... Everyone struggled to support themselves, so there was no real sense of comradery between pack members. You got a feeling that if it benefited them in some way, people would back-stab you without a second thought...”

A soft, sad smile brightened Benny’s hardened expression and when he opened his eyes, there was a fondness glimmering in them. From underneath the stench of moss Dean was barely able to catch a smell of warm buns − fondness. „Except for Andrea.” That brief display of warm emotions was once again washed away by sadness and just as soon as it appeared in his natural aroma, the smell of warm buns vanished. „We grew up together and even though we haven’t hang out often, I always liked her generosity, that willingness to help out others. It made her stand out from the pack. After my first rut and her first heat, I couldn’t stop thinking about having her as a mate and after several years I started courting her. I didn’t have that much to offer, but Andrea assured me she didn’t care for having lots of stuff, only for us to be happy and have enough to live comfortably. We were so happy.” Benny gave out a heavy sigh. „But I wasn’t the only one interested in her.”

Dean had a good idea now where this story was heading and he was tempted to stop Benny from reliving those clearly painful memories. But he had to hear it all out to make a proper judgment and so he stood silently as the Alpha continued on. _Dad wouldn’t need to put him through this_ , a treacherous voice in his mind whispered. _Dad could find another way to decide if Benny was a threat without causing him_ _unnecessary_ _pain._

But Dad was _dead_ and now Dean was struggling to fill a void he’s left behind.

„He was a rather lanky guy” Benny said „and I wasn’t worried about fighting him for Andrea’s hand if things came to that. But a few days before me and Andrea planned our mating to take place, power struggles started in the village and my rival’s father has overthrown the previous Alpha. And Andrea...” Benny clenched his jaw in unspoken anger. „She suddenly became interested in him. All that talk about how she didn’t need to live in wealth... and the moment the guy gained more power in the village, she went running straight to him.”

 _What a backstabbing whore_ , Dean thought to himself. He haven’t even met Andrea and he already hated her guts for hurting _his Alpha_.

„I spent next several days in our tent, surrounded by her scent” Benny revealed and Dean could just _imagine_ how much it’ve got to hurt. No one to turn to in a pack full of people looking out only for themselves and nowhere to go in a hostile environment. The only place he could lick his wounds was saturated with reminder of things that he lost. Dean faintly remembered how Dad acted after Mom’s death. Staggering around like a shadow, leaving a stench of pain in his wake, but putting a brave face for his people’s sake. „As much as her betrayal hurt me” Benny continued on „I had full intention to honor Andrea’s decision. But that wasn’t _good enough_ for her mate.”

Suddenly a stench of burning coals − anger − flared up in Benny’s scent and joined the mossy smell that hung thick in the air, sending Dean’s mind into overdrive. He was torn between wanting to comfort his Alpha and itching for a fight with those who hurt him in the first place.

„He was convinced I would seduce Andrea back” Benny’s mouth twisted in displeasure. ”Or ‘steal her’ as he put it, like she was some sort of possession.” He spat the last few words like a repulsive things that founds its way onto his tongue. „He must have felt very insecure. He was shorter and less muscular than me, and didn’t have an appealing personality, so he probably realized Andrea chose him only for his position. On the morning after they mated, he gathered a bunch of Alphas from the village and together they dragged me out of the hut. That bastard accused me of _treason_ and his daddy wanted me executed on the spot. To be fair, Andrea was shocked and protested, but they paid her no mind.”

„I don’t know how, but I managed to slip out of their hold and bolted toward the woods as they took chase. Didn’t bother to look back to see how close they were getting. I just run and run, and run until the evening came and I couldn’t keep going anymore. Only then I realize nobody was following me and I was completely alone.”

Seconds passed in silence as Benny mourned over his lost home and love, while Dean watched the defeated Alpha and scented emotions in his natural aroma that confirmed truth in his words.

Then Benny’s expression hardened back to the mask of confidence he wore at the start and he glared at Dean. „Happy now?” he asked.

Although his tone was indifferent, Dean felt as if Benny has screamed at him. He stepped back, slumped down atop his cot and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and letting his head hang limply. Shame spread underneath his skin like a spiderweb, sticky and cold.

He _knew_ he was doing the right thing. He had to judge potential threats and protect his people. And yet, it didn’t _fe_ _el_ right. Whenever he dealt with a problem in the village, someone ended up displeased or worse, hurt. No matter how much he tried, he constantly fucked up. Failure painted his time as a leader from the very start, ever since that night three years ago when he kissed his barely conscious father goodbye, took one of the pillows surrounding John’s head and did the ‘right thing’. Nobody said a word against him, but as with Benny’s forced indifference, their silence _screamed_ of condemnation.

He gave Benny the only reply he could come up with: „I’m sorry.” Whenever he was sorry over Benny’s past or for making him talk about it, he wasn’t sure himself. Probably both.

„Yeah, so am I” Benny agreed, leaving the same ambiguity over what exactly he was sorry for.

Another uncomfortable pause snuck into their conversation, but Dean spoke before it got too unbearable: „You’re saying that you managed to survive on your own for past two winters?” Benny nodded casually like it wasn’t a big deal, much to Dean’s bewilderment. Even with all pack members working together to gather supplies throughout autumn and sharing them with each other, the snowy season was a real bitch. And that’s only counting winter. They had to collect food and resources all year long. Not to mention wild animals and other dangers that invaded their safety once in awhile. The fact that Benny was able to do it on his own... „That couldn’t have been an easy feat.”

Benny shrugged as much as the binds allowed him. „I did what I had to do.”

„Hey, give yourself some credit. I know what dangers lurk out there: wolves, bears... Hell, larger herbivores can pose a threat if you get on their wrong side. How did you even stay safe at night?”

„I slept on the trees.”

Dean did a double take and struggled to imagine this heavy, muscular Alpha sleeping high on a tree branch without accidentally rolling off and crushing down on the ground during rest. He’s never heard of such tactic before.

For the first time since he was brought here and strapped to the chair, Benny relaxed in his seat and scrutinized Dean with amusement bouncing in his eyes; a soft scent of satisfaction − lilies of the valley − came from him, pushing away the stench of sadness and anger that permeated the place, which provided Dean a much needed change and he gladly inhaled it. He felt his tension draining out of his muscles. This is how he wanted his Alpha to look and smell like at all times.

Answering his unspoken question, Benny explained: „During warm seasons I’d get up a tree, settle down a thick branch and tie myself to it in case I was to roll off of in my sleep. Having grown up in mountains, climbing is a second nature to me. There are no big predators high up that would risk attacking a human and if you find a correct spot... well, it’s not _the_ _most comfortable_ way to sleep, but it won’t leave your back breaking in pain the next morning.”

„What about winters?” Dean pressed. „It’s way to cold to sleep on trees.”

„When weather got cold enough, I’d search for a proper cave to stay in: positioned high up to prevent most animals from getting in and deep enough to keep the wind out.” Dean recalled the small mountain located up North from where the Black Rock laid down, the one it probably detached from centuries ago. He wondered briefly if that’s where Benny would spend winters. If memory served, there were quite a few cave entrances. „I’d litter the entrance with various traps,” Benny continued „for predators that somehow managed to get in.” He snorted and flashed a smug smile. „I once had a bear wandered in and found it nearly dead, caught in one of the traps. It provided me with food for nearly two weeks.”

„You...” Dean faltered. „You killed a bear all by yourself?” Benny nodded. „And ate it?” Another nod.

It’s not like his people haven’t caught and feasted on a bear before; they had in fact captured one seven weeks ago and as always it led to a pack wide dinner. Rufus and Frank skinned the animal, then Ellen and Anna roasted it. Dean could vividly recall the sweet, spicy taste of perfectly prepped meat and a whole night of dances that followed. The next morning most pack members were so tired and content they’ve decided to take the whole day off and rest, except for few people who were obsessed with keeping up with their responsibilities, like Bobby and Castiel.

Indeed, his people have eaten a bear on several occasions, but it was always a group effort to bring one down. The fact that Benny managed to kill one on his own... It _didn’t matter_ it was the result of trap he set, something all Alphas in their village were able to do. It _didn’t matter_ it was a pure accident the animal even wandered into Benny’s cave. Dean’s heart certainly didn’t care as it swelled with pride and he had to inhale deeply to fill that new space in his chest.

The man in front of him was a true Alpha and Dean couldn’t believe his luck that he found him. He sat on the cot, smelling Benny’s alluring aroma and watching his entire being, muscled and hardened by life. How much he wanted to walk over and nuzzle against him, just _feel_ those rugged features over his skin.

„Now that we’ve established I’m not a danger to your pack,” Benny said, snapping Dean back into reality „are you going to release me?”

And just like that Dean’s heart went crushing down.

That’s right, Benny was an _outsider_ and once Dean untied him, he would simply get up and disappear into the woods to continue his life of a wanderer, taking along his _delicious scent_ and the array of emotions he made Dean feel in mere minutes. He would vanish out of Dean’s life as suddenly as he appeared and take away the promise of things his scent gave Dean. And that was the only reasonable choice for Dean to make. Benny clearly wasn’t a threat, so Dean didn’t have to take stronger measures with him to defend the pack. He should let him go with permission to live on their territory.

As an _outsider_. Because he didn’t have a home or family to return to. He would continue living his days in the woods, alone and forgotten.

„You could join us” Dean proposed in a spur of a moment.

Benny blinked and his jaw dropped slightly in surprise. „W-what?” he faltered.

Yes, the more Dean thought about, the more he realized it was a perfect solution to the problem, even ignoring his own desire to keep Benny close. Dean would never conceive an idea to sleep on a tree branch to avoid predators at night, but it was an obvious thing to someone who grew up in mountain region. What other ideas Benny could offer from personal experience that Dean’s pack members wouldn’t dream of? Having an alternate perspectives would be beneficial to everyone, similarly to how Castiel brought his own medicine recipes − some of which ended up displacing Bobby’s due to their effectiveness − and Anna offered more efficient ways of keeping vegetable gardens around the village that were standard in their old pack. Not to mention Benny’s impressive skills as a hunter.

Everyone won. The villagers prospered and Benny had a safe place to stay.

It was an utter _bullshit_ what happened to him and Dean would love to get his hands on those dicks whom used to be Benny’s pack, especially Andrea and her fucking mate. You _didn’t turn_ on your own people. Dean would fight to the last breath for his pack no matter what and that included Frank and Ellen, no matter how much they annoyed the shit out of him with their never-ending complaints.

„Based on your story, you’re a skilled hunter and thanks to growing up in a different environment, you have solutions nobody in this village would thought off” Dean pointed out, staring at Benny’s expression that morphed from shocked to studious. „I could use someone with your mind and abilities.”

For several seconds Benny scrutinized Dean like he was trying to find hidden trickery in his plan. Then a lecherous smile stretched his lips, exposing the tips of his sharp teeth, and his natural aroma grew _soaked_ with pure sexual desire. „Is that _the only_ reason you want me to stay, Omega?” he asked in low, rumbling voice.

_Oh fuck._

The desperate want Dean suppressed for past two hours finally broke free, leaving him feeling raw and exposed. Once again he became painfully aware that the Alpha was half naked and tied to the chair, completely at Dean’s mercy. His eyes slipped down toward Benny’s bare body to take in the strong muscles of his chest and stomach, old battle scars that gave evidence of the Alpha’s endurance and courage, and dark hair that covered his torso and trailed down to disappeared beneath the waistband of his worn out pants...

Of course, Benny noticed Dean’s action and his smirk widened when their eyes met again. „I haven’t noticed your smell earlier because of all that mud” Benny murmured „but the moment you stepped in, freshly cleaned... I never imagined I would come across who smelled like you. An apple pie, sweet but with a hint of tart.” Benny licked his lips with pleasure and Dean swallowed in his suddenly dry throat. Despite his better judgment, he wanted to step over and _taste_ that tongue. „Not even Andrea smelled this good.”

Just the sound of that name − the name of treacherous _bitch_ who betrayed his Alpha − had Dean jumping on his feet, closing the distance between them in two quick steps and _yanking_ Benny’s head up by his hair so he would look up at Dean. Why was his Alpha _still_ talking about her? He wanted to make Alpha forget about anyone but _him_.

And yet he stood still, held back by the whisper in his mind that repeated „ _The pack... think about the pack..._ ” over and over again. He was aware at some point those words meant _something_ , but his brain has turned into mush by the array of scent surrounding him − sad Alpha, angry Alpha, _aroused Alpha, mineminemine_ − and he couldn’t make sense out of them anymore. So why wasn’t he _moving_? Why was he standing above his Alpha, their heated bodies mere inches away from touching?

„Come on, Omega...” Alpha growled in arousal, his warm breath brushing over Dean’s face. A movement down caught Dean’s attention and he watched as the Alpha spread his legs, exposing his growing bulge. „You can have it...”

That view and the Alpha’s promise _shattered_ what little self-control Dean had left and he _crushed_ their lips together, earning a surprised huff from his Alpha that instantly turned into an approving growl. They _devoured_ each other mouths, all tongues and teeth as if the other man was their last meal on Earth. The Alpha’s desperation only served to push Dean further into frenzy, which in turn goaded the Alpha on, sending them into spiral of burning desire. Intense aroma of honey-jalapeno-musk filled Dean’s nose and surrounded him firmly from everywhere, having saturated the hut to the brim, bringing with itself the evidence of Alpha’s arousal.

As wonderful as Alpha’s mouth tasted, it still wasn’t _enough_ for Dean’s starved body. He sat on Alpha’s knees, pressed his thighs against the man’s sides and enveloped his arms around Alpha’s torso, bringing their heated, bare bodies together. That brought mutual _moan_ from both of them. He felt Alpha’s rough skin and hair brushing against his arms, chest and erected nipples, which send blood flooding his short Omega penis, rapidly bringing it to full attention. Even the small burn of ropes couldn’t spoil this moment.

Finally, _fucking finally_ Dean had his Alpha where he wanted— no, _needed_ him to be for past hours. He sucked Alpha’s tongue into his mouth and bit gently on it. The Alpha gave out a warning growl and pulled his face away from Dean to glare at him for a second, then he attacked his neck, _licking, biting_ and _scraping_ his beard all over the spot where it met the Omega’s shoulder. _Marking_ Dean.

It was _too much_ and at the same time _exactly_ what Dean desired. He rolled his hips, seeking friction to his stiff members and he felt thick, hard Alpha cock trapped between his asscheeks, standing up at full attention and pressing against his hole. When he’s heard gasp of pleasure next to his ear, he repeated the motion over and over again, pulling the same response from the Alpha each time. Between those breathy sounds, the intense smell of aroused Alpha and the erection rubbing over his hole, Dean was leaking slick in no time.

Fuck, he needed _more_.

Dean brushed his right hand over Alpha’s firm arm and shoulder, and toward Alpha’s back to feel his muscles shifting underneath his palm, learn how they responded to his touch...

Only to encounter the cold, hard wood of backrest.

He tried to slip his hand beneath it without moving from his Alpha, but to no avail. The ropes held Alpha firmly in place and left no place to maneuver. Dean gave out a frustrated huff and lifted himself high enough to reach behind Alpha to untie the knots, losing some of that wonderful warm and firmness that just a moment ago was pressed to his body, just as it _should be_. He worked frantically to get back to his Alpha as fast as possible, which only caused his fingers to slip times and times again from the ropes, driving him deeper into frustration. Why wouldn’t these fucking things _just come UNDONE_?!

The instant roped fell from around Alpha’s arms, Dean found himself grabbed in a firm grip and toppled over onto the ground. He didn’t care the impact knocked breath out of him or that the wooden floor scrapped uncomfortably against his skin, because he felt the weight of his Alpha pressing onto him and those muscular arms enveloping him in a firm, possessive circle.

Their hard cock slotted together and they started to move, rubbing them against each other. Waves of pleasure and heat travelled through Dean’s erection toward his groin. „Goddammit...” was all he managed to get out before their lips found each other again and he grabbed at the Alpha’s back, felling the rough, exposed skin at his palms and letting his fingernails dig into it.

„So good...” the Alpha murmured between kisses as they rolled their hips in unison, getting _so close_ the climax. „My Omega... Mine...”

Yes, Dean belonged to his Alp—

Wait.

WHAT THE FUCK?!

In an instant the burning desire died down as if Dean was doused in cool water. He grabbed at Benny’s shoulder and pushed him away just far enough to look at his face as the man blinked in surprise. Skin flushed, pupils dilated in arousal, lips swollen from raw kissing... and lower Dean could still feel a rock-hard erection against his thighs. Benny was completely disheveled and it was _Dean’s_ doing.

Although Benny struggled against him, Dean managed to push him away onto his knees and make himself a room to sit up. Slowly the harsh reality of what has happened seeped into his mind like a venom from poisonous snake. He got overwhelmed by his desire for Benny and just _went for it_ , disregarding the safety of his own people. He couldn’t even _understand_ how he lost control like this. They’ve been talking normally and everything was going well until Benny brought up his ex-girlfriend... which didn’t make sense, because he’s already done several times during their conversation. But something exploded in Dean at the moment and even now he could sense the remnants of earlier anger that his Alpha—

 _No_ , Benny was _not_ his Alpha. And he wasn’t Benny’s Omega.

One glance at Benny confirmed that he was also waking up from the frenzy they found themselves in, but the view of his disheveled look was too much and Dean quickly averted his eyes.

He took a deep breath to clear his mind further; instead of fresh air, he got hit with an _intense_ mixture of Benny’s natural aroma and a whole array of emotions they gave out. _Of course._ Dean though he could withstand the allure of Benny’s smell, because he’s done just fine during the trip back, but clearly over the past half an hour those various scents and Benny’s story chipped on his resolve without him even realizing. When did he even start thinking about Benny as ‘his Alpha’?

Dammit, he was such a _fuck up_. Dad would never let himself to act like a bitch in heat. He was too smart and restrained to lose control. The pack would be far better off if he were still alive, but unfortunately they were stuck with _Dean_.

He collected himself from the floor, relieved he could stand on his wobbly leg. „Sorry” he mumbled, noticing with a corner of his eye that Benny also stood up. „I shouldn’t have done that.” He cleared his throat to get rid off sudden tightness and looked at Benny. Thankfully, the man has calmed down too and watched him patiently. „If you want to join our pack, you’ll have to be accepted by other members. You’ll be put on a sort of test period, during which you’ll help them around the village and gain their trust in the process. So... are you interested?”

„How long the time period lasts?” Benny asked.

„There’s no set duration. My friend who helped, uh, bring you into the village, the one who...” Now that he knew Benny wasn’t a threat, he was embarrassed about how they captured him. Not helped by their forceful attempts at holding normal conversation despite what happened mere minutes ago. „T-the one who stopped you from fighting, Castiel, he and his sister also came to us from another pack. She was accepted by the pack after two weeks, but Castiel needed nearly three months before people came around to like him. It always takes a little longer with Alphas for obvious reasons.” Benny would understand that well, considering his troubles started when the old leader of his pack was overthrown.

It didn’t take long for Benny to make up his mind. „Sounds good” he decided. „I’d like to give it a shot.”

Dean expected to be more excited at his decision, but warm feeling was muted by the embarrassment and guilt cloying his insides. „Great” was as much enthusiasm as he could muster. „In that case I’ll gather pack members to tell them the news. Wait here.”

After he stepped out of the hut and closed the door behind, he was relieved by the fresh air that filled his lungs. Instead of setting to immediately call people up, he headed to the back of his place to clean up again. He must’ve been saturated with a smell of horny Alpha and judging by Benny’s appearance, Dean probably looked of heated make-out as well. So he washed himself as anger bubbled in his guts, preventing him from appreciating the sensation of cool water washing over his heated body and warm sunlight shinning at him from above. He could imagine what sort of comments Frank and Ellen would say if they found out what happened. These two were the worst, just running their tongues all day long.

Well, they’d better mind their words. _He_ was the pack Alpha and his word was the _law_ around here. He could fuck them over if they didn’t stop challenging his position.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally, the story was meant to end with chapter 3, but as I wrote in Dean's insecurities regarding his position, I expanded the story. Currently, I plan for it to last six chapters. We'll see.
> 
> Tell me what you thought!


	4. Pack Meeting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally this chapter was suppose to have more scenes, but as the pack meeting grew longer (because I just can't help adding more and more details), I decided to turn it into a chapter on its own. Thus now the plan is that the story will have 7 chapters instead of 6. Hopefully you'll enjoy this chapter!

The stench of unease permeated the air.

Dean regarded the pack members gathered around him at the center of their village as the latecomers joined them. Although most of them tried to keep the appearance of calm, their eyes constantly wandered away from Dean toward Benny who stood silently by his side, weariness reflecting in their looks; the smaller pups didn’t even bother to hide their anxiety as they hid behind their parents and only peaked out far enough to cautiously observe the stranger Alpha. To Dean’s right Bess clutched her pup closely to her chest while Garth stood right by her side, closer than he tended to do during pack meetings, his palm gently brushing over Bess’ arm in comforting gesture.

Once the last person has arrived, Dean cleared his throat to gain everyone’s attention, more out of desire to bring some sense of normalcy − usually there was a stubborn murmur of conversations he had to silence − than out of genuine need. His heart sat heavily in his chest like a rock as he took in the distress coming from the people he swore to take care of, the memory of his betrayal fresh in his mind. He tried to not dwell too much on it in order to keep his scent clean and neutral. The fact he had little way of checking how successful he was paradoxically worked to make him more nervous.

„Thank you all for coming here so fast” Dean started in authoritative voice, hoping to calm people further with it. And himself as well. He kept still despite how much he wanted to pull on a t-shirt he hastily threw on before going to call people up as even this thin material felt scratchy against his skin in the heating sunlight.„As you might have guessed, I have an important matter to discuss with you. Two hours ago I received an information that a stranger Alpha breached out territory” Dean instinctively searched the crowd for Anna; she stood next to Castiel and played nervously with a flock of her red hair, but nevertheless seemed calmer than others „and so I set out with Sam and Castiel to bring him into the village for questioning to determine if he was a danger to any of us. As it turned out, that wasn’t the case.”

He paused and scanned the faces around him, but his reassurance didn’t have any calming effect and the pack members continued to give Benny nervous stares. Dean felt as if someone pressed a red-hot iron to his heart. Apparently it wasn’t just Frank and Ellen who didn’t trust him. _Nobody_ in the village trusted him enough to take him on his word.

Not letting those emotions reflect in his expression and − hopefully − scent, Dean pointed at Benny and said: „This is Benny. For past two winters he wandered the wild, struggling to survive on his own after the despotic leader of his old pack has chased him away for petty reasons.”

That information caused several pack members to look at Benny with softer eye, much to Dean’s cautious optimism, as Benny himself remained stoic by his side. Not everyone was moved, though, and among those were of course Frank and Ellen, the former looking like he expected Benny to pounce him at any moment and the latter watching the Alpha with hard look. Just seeing those troublemakers weakened Dean’s optimism that things would go smoothly.

Instinctively he searched the crowd for his younger brother, the one friendly face he could always count to see. When their eyes met, Sam simply nodded reassuringly and that was all Dean needed to resume with enough confidence in his voice: „During our conversation Benny expressed interest in joining our pack and I believe he deserves a chance to do so.”

Finally the villagers snapped out of the stunned silence as several of them leaned closer together to discuss the manner in hushed voices, the low murmur sounding like a beehive in the middle of a particularly busy day, while others stared in surprise. Dean was at least pleased to note that Frank looked like he swallowed a rock and it got stuck in his throat. This was better. He remembered the pack members reacted in similar manner back when Anna showed up and during the meeting revealed that her Alpha brother also wished to join them. There was still an air of additional worry, but now Dean had hope they could push pass that.

„Hold on!” Frank squawked, cutting the hushed conversations and grabbing everyone’s attention as always. Dean braced himself for what was coming and turned to the man. „Some random Alpha we know _nothing_ about shows up, _demands_ to be let into our pack and we should just accept him with open arms?!”

„He didn’t _demand_ anything, Frank” Dean responded patiently, which he personally found very impressive, considering how tired he was with Frank’s whining. „And he’ll earn his place in the pack. He’ll go through the same process as Cas and Anna did, exactly as tradition says.” Unable to stop himself, after a moment Dean added: „Do you have problem with our traditions too, Frank?”

If even the smallest fiber of his being hoped that would be the end of this conversation − because Dean’s mind sure gave up on this idea a long time ago, no discussion with Frank ended easily − it was quickly proven wrong. Frank shook his head in disbelieve and glanced around at other pack members. „This whole thing sounds incredibly sketchy. Am I the only one who doesn’t buy it?” Dean clenched his jaw, struggling to not shout at Frank to keep his pie hole shut. As always when Dean didn’t give attention to his complains, Frank set on riling people up. „They drag this Alpha into our village, kicking and snarling, and less than hour later Dean’s suddenly best friends with him? None of this add up!”

Although the pack members didn’t seem to pay much mind to Frank’s words, Dean nevertheless was about to tell him to can it. But then Frank turned back to him and his eyes focused on the spot where Dean’s neck met his shoulder, the exact spot where Benny... _Shit_.

A chilling sensation settled in Dean’s stomach a second before Frank’s eyes widened in shock.

„Wait a minute, wait a minute!” the Beta squawked again and pointed an accusing finger at Dean, his face twisting in outrage as he looked Dean straight into eyes. „What is that thing on your neck?!”

Now _that_ got everyone’s attention and they looked toward Dean’s neck in unison. There was a whole array of reaction. Some struggled to see what Frank was even talking about, few grew outraged by what they spotted, others became confused. Unable to stop himself, Dean glanced down with heart hammering in his chest. From the awkward angle he was using, his neck twisted uncomfortably, he could see a barely noticeable sliver of pale purple peaking past the top of his shirt. How the fuck Frank managed to spot it was beyond him, but trust this _asshole_ to cause troubles.

Trying to play cool, Dean gave Frank a condescending smile. „It’s a bruise, Frank” he answered truthfully. Best to not make a big deal out of it, otherwise people would realize it _was_ a big deal. „Haven’t you seen a bruise before?”

Benny remained silent by Dean’s side, but now that Dean was in panic, a treacherous whisper awoke in his mind. What if he misjudged Benny and he wasn’t as innocent of a man as he presented himself? Now the Alpha would have a leverage to use against him. He could threatened to reveal the truth of what happened between them to people to get anything he wan—

No, no, Dean couldn’t follow that train of logic. His mind was simply getting itself worked up due to fear. Nothing in Benny’s words, scent or behavior suggested he was dishonest, and Dean was certain he made the right choice by offering him a place in the pack. Even at the moment as he silently stood by Dean’s sides and gave out an aura of confidence, the same unease that came from the villagers polluted Benny’s scent. He was worried of the final verdict. After all, he knew better than Dean knew what it meant to become a target of pack’s animosity.

And _that_ was the problem with Frank. The little weasel not only tried to turn people against him, but he sneaked inside Dean’s very mind and chopped at his self-confidence, made him doubt his choices. He shouldn’t give Frank the satisfaction.

However, there was also Ellen to worry about and Dean watched nervously as she stepped out of the crowd, wearing a serious expression and having arms wrapped around her chest in expecting gesture like a mother waiting for her pup to explain themselves. „How exactly did it get there, boy?” was all she asked, but Dean felt a gnawing on his inner organs as he struggled to come up with plausible explanation. Unlike Frank, Ellen didn’t shriek or flail her arms. No, she stood by wayside and watched for the smallest mistake Dean made, then brought it up for everyone to see. She always looked at Dean in this condescending manner and clearly derived great pleasure in exposing Dean’s failures.

Once more he decided that being as truthful as possible was the best approach. „I got it during the scuffle with Benny” he lied. Well, he got _few_ scratches and a bruise from the experience, so attributing another mark to it wouldn’t hurt anyone.

Ellen continued to stare doubtfully at Dean, but before she could spew another of her comment, Frank shrieked: „You got it from Benny? The same guy you expect us to accept into the pack?” He dramatically pointed at Benny as if people forgot he was there. „And that’s suppose to calm us down?”

Angered simmered in Dean’s gut, phasing out the worry that resided there for last several minutes. He was so _done_ dealing with those two. He was so _done_ listening to Frank’s obnoxious voice that drilled through mind. „Look, Frank, if I grabbed by your throat, would you calmly go with it?” he snapped. And boy, did he _enjoy_ the idea of doing it right about now.

Frank flapped his mouth open and shut, but for the first time as long as Dean reached in his memory he couldn’t find words.

„You got to admit it looks quite odd” Ellen pressed on „that you ended up with a bruise on your neck. Sam mentioned you’ve fallen over, but it had to be an weird angle for you to injure your neck like that.”

„I don’t have much control over how I fall, now do I?” Dean shot back.

Ellen narrowed her eyes and Dean was pleased to smell a hint of irritation appear in her natural aroma of mind and whisky, a very Alpha smell. Alphas were top dogs, stronger, faster and more resilient both physically and mentally than Betas or Omegas, so they easily fell into leadership roles. They were used to following exclusively other Alphas who proved to be even tougher than them, if only out of necessity and everyone’s best interest. It was either controlling their instincts and living in times of peace or causing an endless bloodshed by trying to overthrow the current leader.

The more Dean thought about it, the more he realized how much it must’ve been driving Ellen insane to have an _Omega_ in charge. That wasn’t the pecking order she was used to. Alphas gave orders, Betas and Omegas followed them. That’s why she pushed for Sam to take over after Dad’s death, wasn’t it? Because it would be easier for her to submit to another Alpha. She sure as hell didn’t question _Dad’s_ leadership skills when he was alive.

Well, fuck her. Dean was doing a damn good job and he wouldn’t allow this bitch to fill him with doubts.

As was to be expected, Ellen opened her mouth to talk back to him, but at the same time Sam stepped out of the crowd. „Hold on, both of you” he said with finality in his voice, glancing between Ellen and Dean. Of course, _Alpha’s_ command made Ellen shut up without protests and Dean felt the flames of anger growing in his chest.

When Sam stepped next to him and Benny, Dean could smell the annoyance coming from his brother’s natural aroma − a barely controlled stench of burning coals − which calmed him down a little. It was good to know at least one person in the pack always had his back.

„I know what you two are suggesting” Sam told Frank and Ellen, a note of displeasure resounding in his voice „and frankly, I can’t believe you’d even think that. Dean’s been doing a great job as the pack Alpha, always putting everyone’s needs before his own and I think he deserves a benefit of a doubt.” In the very least Ellen had a decency to lower her eyes to the ground, but Frank looked offended as if Sam has just spat in his face. „He wouldn’t offer some stranger Alpha a place in our pack because he was attracted to him. He wouldn’t betray us like that.”

The small amount of calm Sam’s intervention originally brought Dean died down as he finished talking. ‘ _He wouldn’t betray us like that_ ’ echoed in Dean’s mind as the hickey in the pit of his neck seemed to burn in silent accusation; Dean had to fight an instinctive need to rub on the spot to ease the imaginary sensation. Nevertheless, when Sam looked back at him with a friendly expression that brought up dimples in Sam’s cheeks and always cheered him up, Dean flashed a thankful smile.

Fuck, he was such _fake_. Maybe Frank and Ellen were right after all— No, he had to _stop_ fucking obsessing over it so much! Alpha leaders couldn’t constantly doubt and second-guess themselves! The well-being of entire pack relied on them being able to control their own emotions! So he messed up! It wasn’t a big deal anyway and he would control himself better in the future!

Despite the internal conflict that stormed inside his head, Dean kept the appearance of calm to prevent those emotions from seeping into his scent. Oblivious to the whole thing, Sam addressed the crowd once more. „As of now Benny haven’t spoken a word yet” he continued in placating tone „and I don’t know about you, but I’d like to hear him make a case for himself.”

Figuring that he should regain the control over the meeting, Dean looked at the silent Alpha beside him. „Benny” he said simply and nodded encouragingly toward the villagers.

Benny glanced in his direction and their eyes met briefly; the Alpha gave out the same aura of adamant confidence and defiance as before, his posture straight, head held up and expression closed off, but now that Dean knew his personal history, he wasn’t fooled by the posturing. Benny has already faced rejection from his own pack, the people he grew up with. Now he had to convince a bunch of strangers who openly showed their mistrust that he wasn’t a threat. From up close Dean was able to catch hint of worry polluting Benny’s natural aroma, which would escape the notice of pack members around them.

He wished he could help Benny out somehow, ease his fears a little and convince everyone to give him a chance, but that was the task he had to deal with on his own. The test was designed specifically for newcomers to prove their usefulness to the pack and their peaceful intentions. And if Dean was honest with himself, _he_ needed to see those as well. Just because he _wished_ to believe in Benny’s good nature, that didn’t make it instantly true. As far as he was aware, Benny could be tricking him into lowering his guards and that wasn’t a chance he was willing to take.

 _That didn’t stop you from jumping his bone back in the hut_ , a mocking whisper in his mind pointed out. _Like a bitch in heat._ Dean ignored it.

After a moment Benny broke off their eye contact and turned to the crowd surrounding them. „Let me introduce myself properly” he started in confident tone, not a trace of worry Dean smelled from him in it. „I’m Alpha Benny and I come from a mountain region up south. Two winters ago I had to leave my old pack due to changes in leadership.” Although that was a sanitized version of what happened, Dean knew his people would understand what Benny meant. They’ve heard stories, even in their own pack’s past, about abusive leaders mistreating their own people. „I’ve been wondering the world on my own since.”

„I realize my presence fills you with worry. Trust me when I say I know what sort of damages Alphas can cause to people’s lives. I’ve experiences it first hand. But I’m not here to stir troubles. That wasn’t my intention when I asked Dean for opportunity to join your pack.”

Dean’s heart jolted when Benny spoke the last sentence, then a pleasant warmth flooded his chest, soothing his guilt and anger. This wasn’t Benny simply going with his lie. No, he outright _chose_ to bring up Dean’s version so casually, showing that he had full intention to help cover up their earlier screw up. He had to understand, at least on some level, why Dean lied about it in the first place. Although Dean still felt bad over losing his control like that, he was relieved Benny had no intention of using the truth against him to gain power in the pack.

He stared at Benny’s profile, illuminated beautifully by the bright summer sun, as the Alpha explained: „I can survive in the wilderness on my own, but frankly, I’m tired of having to constantly watch my back. Of fighting every day just to stay alive. I want security a pack brings. I’m only looking for a safe place to call a home and all I ask of you is to give me a chance.”

The silence that followed seemed to weight less heavily than the one at the start of pack meeting. Dean discreetly smelled the air to confirm that indeed the stench of weariness weakened a bit, mixing in with a hint of sympathy brought to his nose by a cool breeze, but it wasn’t completely gone. He then scanned the crowd and spotted several individuals openly watching Benny with kinder eyes; most remaining pack members still held their guard, though. That was the best reaction Dean could have hoped for, considering how deeply everyone was affected by that terrifying night from a year ago when a stranger Beta tried to kidnap Garth and Bess’ pup. None of them have trusted Benny yet, but his words penetrated their defenses and they would give him a fair chance, he was sure of it.

With concern Dean glanced to his right where Garth and Bess stood, two people whose reaction he was most worried about. They stood as closely as before, shielding their pup away from potential danger. However, their muscles, previously strained like they thought they would have to bolt at any moment, relaxed and their tense expression softened. Their mixed scents gave out a particularly strong smell of sympathy, more so than other pack members. Oh these two, always carrying their hearts on their palms.

The only person who still appeared set dead against Benny’s presence in the pack was Frank, which Dean was fully expecting; Frank only ever approved of his own ideas.

Dean nodded in acceptance. „Then it’s decided” he proclaimed. „Tomorrow Benny will start a test period during which he’ll work to gain your trust—”

„I don’t think that’s a wise idea!” Frank complained.

„Yes, Frank, we know.” Dean glanced at the Beta, hardening his eyes as much as possible to announce this conversation was _over_. „We’ve heard you loud and clear, but you’re not the only person deciding on the subject, so how about you put a sock in it, huh?”

Although Frank shut his mouth, he looked like he chugged down a lemon juice. Too bad, he’d have to _deal_. From among the crowd Dean fished out a couple of people, among them Bobby and Rufus, who seemed mighty happy they wouldn’t have to listen to another of Frank’s tirades. That pleased Dean very much.

„As I was saying before that rude interruption” Dean continued, pointedly ignoring Frank’s annoyed stares „starting with tomorrow Benny will be on test period. You can approach him with anything you need and then judge his behavior on your own. I want you to be fair. If you see any problem, you come to me. And don’t make shit up, okay?” He waved a hand at Frank without even sparing him a glance to show what exactly he had in mind by ‘ _making shit up_ ’ to bitch about.

Few barely concealed chuckled resounded from the crowd and Dean had to stop himself from giving out a smug smile. It was good to know he wasn’t the only one who found Frank’s antics tiresome and enjoyed putting him in his place. He spotted amused expressions on several people’s faces while Frank stood frozen in place, crimson color creeping on his features as he drew his lips into a thin line in displeasure.

Dean glanced at his partner in crime, Sam, who helped him deal with Frank, but for some reason Sam gave him a disapproving glare; the same emotions slipped into his natural aroma, scolding Dean further. Confused, he scowled and spread his hands apart in questioning gesture, to which Sam responded by merely shaking his head in dismissal and looking away.

However, that wasn’t the troubling part, because Sam always found the most meaningless things to bitch about, it was in his nature as a younger brother to be a pain to Dean. Figures he’d put fuss about a harmless joke. And Dean was sure he’d hear _all about it_ after the meeting was finished. No, the far more troubling pat happened next when Dean’s eyes slipped away from Sam and automatically moved to Benny who stared back at him.

And Dean noticed pure _hatred_ burning in Benny’s eyes, aimed at him.

His heart clenched painfully and he felt lightheaded, so he had to take a deep inhale of air to regain balance. That only confused him further when he scented not hatred, but _fear_ emanating from Benny’s natural aroma. Why the fuck was he staring at Dean like that? What did Dean do? It lasted only a split second before Benny lowered his gaze to the ground and his face softened, but the cat was already out of the bag and there was no way to put it back in. The image of Benny’s hateful glare etched into Dean’s mind and he could see it clear as the crowd gathered around them.

The shock slowly thawed away from Dean’s brain, letting him regain clarity of thought after that unexpected moment. Has he imagined it? No, because Sam also stared with confusion at Benny, having caught a whiff of his fear.

What the hell was _that_ about?

Dean took another deep breath and felt his heart loosen up, allowing him to slip back into the commanding presence of a leader. „That’s all for now” he told the crowd. „As I said, if you notice anything troubling” the image of Benny’s hateful glare flashed in his mind, making him falter „I’m all ears. The meeting’s over.”

One by one people left, heading back to whatever tasks they’ve been taking care of when Dean called for a meeting; Frank scattered away like a frightened bug and Ellen headed home with confidence. Dean stood in his spot and watched them wander away, giving out an aura of confidence that was expected of a leader even as his emotions were in turmoil. The summer breeze carried toward him the familiar mixture of natural aromas he grew up around, which usually gave him a sense of peace and reminded him of all the good things he achieved in the past three years for these people he deeply cared for. But now those scents brought the mixture of unease and sympathy with them and only worked to confuse Dean even further.

As the crowd thinned out, Castiel and Anna lingered behind, waiting for everyone else leave. When the last few people were about to took off, they walked over to where Dean, Sam and Benny waited, Anna at the front offering a shy smile and Castiel a step behind with the same serious expression he always wore.

„Hi” Anna greeted Benny, nervous hint in her friendly voice. She stretched her arm out as if she wanted to offer Benny a handshake, but then thought better of it and pulled back. „I’m Anna, Castiel’s sister. You’ve met Castiel, right?” She nodded toward her brother.

„Yes” Benny confirmed, absentmindedly stretching his neck. „We had, uh, the pleasure.”

Anna noticed the fading red marks covering Benny’s throat and flickered her eyes to the side, the stench of embarrassment polluting her natural aroma of herbal tea. „Right, right, you did meet.” She glanced back up at Benny as she raised her hand up to play with a flock of her red hair in a nervous gesture Dean grew to see Anna do regularly. „Anyway, since you want to join our pack, I could use your help. I’m taking care of the pack’s garden and if you could drop by tomorrow to lend me a hand, I would really appreciate that.”

Said garden was located on the east perimeters of their village, a sizeable patch of fertile ground where they grew vegetables and some fruits, surrounded by wooden fence. It always provided a third of the pack’s food, but ever since Anna introduced new techniques of taking care of plants two summers ago, the crop grew bigger and tastier than ever before. Although originally Ellen was the one to oversee the garden, slowly Anna took over with Ellen and several other people helping her out when needed.

Dean saw the garden just this morning and knew Anna didn’t actually need Benny for anything, because the garden was in good shape as always and she wouldn’t harvest the food for several more days. She was clearly trying to make the start of his test period easier on Benny. Considering she went through it herself, she knew first hand how it felt when one had to gain people’s trust.

A pleasant warmth flickered in Dean’s chest at that realization, providing a brief reprieve from the nervousness and confusion that filled his mind.

Benny offered a friendly smile to Anna in return. „I’m sure I’ll have plenty of time tomorrow” he responded, judging by his tone fully aware people wouldn’t open up and accept his help easily. „I’ll be there.”

„Great. Then I’ll see you in the morning.”

With that Anna turned around and headed toward her and Castiel’s hut, leaving the four men alone. Dean watched her for a couple of seconds before Sam’s words brought his attention back to his companions: „I’d say that went about as good as it could have. You know, considering...” He let his voice trail off and Dean’s mind immediately jumped to Garth and Bess’ pup. It was best to not bring such sensitive topics around Benny when he wasn’t yet a trusted member of the pack.

Benny curiously looked between them, sensing there was a whole another story to tell than them just commenting on people being naturally worried about a stranger Alpha appearing in the village, but he politely didn’t ask any questions.

„Yeah” Dean confirmed with a nod, ignoring the nervousness at the pit of his stomach.

Sam turned to Benny. „Sorry about the earlier” he said. „I hope you understand the precautions we take aren’t aimed at you personally.” Much like with Dean and Anna, now that he stood in front of Benny, his eyes were drawn to the barely visible red stripes that still covered Benny’s neck left by the device of his own making. Sam winced and smiles shyly.

„No hard feelings” Benny responded. „You were just taking care of your people." He sniffed the air and gave Sam a once over. „You’re Dean’s family?”

„Younger brother. Sam.” He shook Benny’s hand. „Despite everything that happened, it’s nice to meet you formally, Benny.” He let go off Benny’s palm and pointed at the third Alpha standing silently to the side, his expression serious and unreadable as always. „And this is Castiel, but we all call him Cas. Anna’s brother. They both joined the pack two summers ago.”

Benny’s stare hardened as he took in Castiel’s stiff, serious demeanor and Dean smell a faint hint of something sour coming from both Alphas’ natural aroma. „So I’ve heard” he responded to Sam, but his eyes remained fixed firmly on Castiel.

Silently he reached out toward Castiel and they joined in a firm handshake that kept going and going, and going. Dean saw skin on their knuckled turn pale from the force of their grip. Great, so they took on an instant dislike to each other. Probably had something to do with Castiel threatening to slit Benny’s throat. Hard to built a friendship on such foundations. Though it was more understandable for Benny to hold grudge in such situation than Castiel. Dean’d have to speak with Castiel about his behavior before the whole thing got out of control and caused unnecessary fights. Most likely Castiel would be easily pursued, considering how he always acted in logical and controlled way... which made this antagonistic behavior _more_ bizarre.

As time went on it became clear neither Benny nor Castiel was willing to be the first one to let go, even as their linked hands started shaking from the sheer pressure. Was that what this was about? Alphas trying to establish dominance rather than grudge match? Typical Alphas, always posturing.

„Okay, okay, that’s enough of measuring your dicks” Dean ordered, pressing his palms to the men’s bare chests and pushing them apart. They obediently let go but continued to give each other a hard glares. „You’re both big, strong Alphas. Now play nice or I’ll send you to your rooms without dinner to think about your behavior.”

In the very least both Alphas had a decency to look sheepish and the sour stench dissipated from their natural aromas, replaced by soft smell of embarrassment. „I apologize” Castiel offered, briefly lowering his head and eyes to the ground in submissive gesture atypical for Alphas to show toward Omegas, even if said Omegas were the pack leaders, showing his true regret. And Dean appreciated it. It was always reassuring to know there were people in the village who acknowledged his position without challenging him on every step. „That was inappropriate behavior to display toward a potential pack member.”

Benny cleared his throat. „Yeah, sorry about that.”

Once more their eyes met and despite the hardness still present in them, both men looked at each other with forced civility. „I wish you luck during your test period” Castiel said in his usual dry tone, but Dean recognized a degree of honesty.

„Thank you.”

Dean sighed in defeated acceptance, realizing this forced civility was the best he could hope to achieve between two antagonistic Alphas. Hopefully, their interactions wouldn’t worsen, because one could never know for sure when such dominant personalities were involved. Dean’s seen first hand how two Alphas who acted peacefully suddenly came to bloody blows over the smallest things... only to then apologize and return to being perfectly polite immediately after as if nothing happened. Dean knew he could be hotheaded, but _damn_ , Alphas took it to a _whole new level_.

During the past two years Castiel lived in the village, he and Dean grew to care and respect each other enough that Castiel followed Dean’s lead without constantly challenging his authority, much like Sam. Dean certainly viewed the Alpha as a surrogate brother and he suspected it was mutual. He had confidence in their relationship to know Castiel would remain polite toward Benny despite his dislike for the Alpha. And he wanted to believe Benny also wouldn’t cause troubles, but unfortunately he couldn’t be as sure. Just because Benny told him a sad story about his past and they made out, didn’t mean he knew Benny like the back of his hand.

It was best to not pressure them into becoming best friends when they had reached a potentially fragile truce.

Sam must have agreed with Dean’s assessment as he swiftly changed the subject: „Benny, do you have somewhere safe to stay? If you don’t, we can find something for you. Now that you want to join our pack, you’re sort of our responsibility.” Under Benny’s confused look, Sam added hastily: „If you want, that is.” Because one was never sure what would tick off a stranger Alpha. For all Sam knew a mere _suggestion_ Benny wasn’t able to take care of himself could be taken by him as an affront.

Meeting new Alphas was always a minefield you had to step through carefully, that’s why the idea of accepting one into the pack caused so much worry. Of course, once they proved to have peaceful intention and enough self-control to not attack anyone at the drop of a hat, and were subsequently accepted, Alphas proved to be an immensely valuable members. Strong, resilient, tactically-minded... Overall the pros of having an Alpha around easily outweighed the potential problems that came with the deal.

Instead of getting annoyed at the proposition, Benny gave a thankful, almost _serene_ smile and shook his head. Dean remembered what Benny told him about his old pack − everyone always looking out for themselves − and his heart squeezed in sympathy. „I’m good, brother” he assured Sam. „I have some sleeping arrangements set for myself. I won’t bother your pack more than I already do.”

Dean already knew what those ‘sleeping arrangement’ were and he didn’t like them one bit. Although Benny assured napping on treetops was safe, Dean found out the hard way that there was _no such thing_ as complete safety in the wilderness. The trail little Ben took three summers ago to collect firewood was supposedly secure for him to travel alone; it was a spot close to the village they frequented a lot and scent marks were all over the place to warn the predators from wandering in.

That did jack shit to keep the pack of wolves from nearly taking his life. A helpless six year old boy who’s never done anything to anyone, only some harmless pranks pups his age pull on people. If it wasn’t for John’s interference, Ben wouldn’t have lived to see his ninth birthday. Nature could be so _cruel_.

But in Ben’s place the wolves took away Dean’s father. They didn’t kill him immediately, didn’t have a chance before the pack members arrived to scare them away. No, they did _worse_. They reduced Dad from a brave warrior and a wise leader to a bloody, broken husk of a man who begged Dean to end his suffering because he couldn’t take the pain anymore. The physical pain or the pain of mind when it dawned on him what state he was in?

Dean cut that line of thought before it could lead to more dangerous territories. He kept those emotions hidden at the back of his mind and that’s where they would stay.

„Safety’s in numbers, Ben” Dean pointed with lightness he didn’t actually feel. „I’m sure you can survive on your own, you’ve proven that by now, but there’s no need to take unnecessary risks. My dad taught me being reckless doesn’t make someone brave.” He was pretty versed in dealing with Alphas as the pack leader, so he fired back at any counterarguments Benny could come up to turn down his proposition.

It seemed he was successful as Benny gave him a long, studious look while his natural aroma stayed calm. „I wouldn’t to force my presence on your people” he insisted. „They seemed to be freaked out quite a bit.”

And Dean couldn’t blame them. The memories of that awful night when Beta almost kidnapped Garth and Bess’ pup remained lodged deep into the back o his mind as well. But they couldn’t let it dictate their lives. „The whole purpose of test period is to let them familiarize themselves with you. And the more you are around, the quicker they’ll become comfortable with you.” He pointed at Castiel. „Two summers ago Cas slept in the empty food storage we built recently. And Anna stayed in Ellen’s hut.”

„They would lock me inside at night” Castiel added calmly. Back then he wasn’t as calm about the whole situation and while he didn’t argue against it, the hardened expression he wore each time Dean told him to go into the food storage expressed his displeasure enough. Over time as people’s trust in him and Castiel’s attachment to them grew, he became more accepting of the whole process. „To feel safe about stranger Alpha being in their village. But you understand that, don’t you?” There was a hint of challenge in his voice.

„I do” Benny confirmed.

A silence fell between them as Benny weighed their words. From around the village came noises of everyday life Dean was so familiar with, though quieter and missing few elements like laughter of pups, casual bantering and carefree in people’s steps. All of it was soaked in the lingering stench of worry that contrasted with the warm summer weather and gentle breeze that brushed over Dean’s figure. Part of him felt bad for putting his pack through such stressful event, but he knew Benny’s addition would be beneficial.

And they had to learn to live on after that awful night. Nature wouldn’t give them time to recover or go easy on them just because they didn’t want to face problems.

Eventually Benny nodded thoughtfully and said: „You’re right. If it’s not too much of a problem, I’d like to stay in the village.”

„Great” Sam commented, then scowled and turned to Dean. „Where he should stay, though?”

That was a _good_ question. The storage was now full of food and Dean shouldn’t risk Benny emptying their reserved in the middle of night (even if he didn’t believe he would, best to not aggravate the villagers). And staying at Ellen’s wasn’t an option as it was for Anna. Not only Dean didn’t trust Ellen anymore, but she wouldn’t be okay with the idea either. As an Alpha Ellen could easily overpower Beta like Anna it the need arose, but male Alphas tended to be even stronger than female ones, so she would most likely lose to Benny. No reason to worry her with proposition even further when she was already out to get Dean.

In fact there was only one person in the village who was comfortable enough with Benny to allow him to stay at their place and Dean would allow them to take him in to begin with. „Then you will stay at my place” Dean decided.

However, before Benny could even respond, Castiel interjected: „That’s a bad idea.”

Then Sam added: „He should stay with me.”

Dean stared between them in confusion, taking in their determined expressions and natural aromas that grew thicker with each second in a sign of conviction − a conviction to settle the matter _their_ way. They’ve questioned Dean’s ideas in the past, but they’ve never outright _dismissed_ them to push their will onto Dean and he couldn’t figure out why all of a sudden—

Then he remembered their _fake_ concern when they asked if he was competent enough to talk to Benny on his own or would he present for him like a bitch in heat at the first opportunity he got. And Frank’s insinuations that he wanted Benny to join the pack purely so he could freely fuck him. It _didn’t matter_ that he made out with Benny, because he regained control just in time. And that wasn’t _the_ _fucking point_ anyway! He’s been putting up with everyone challenging his competence since day one despite the fact he’s proved times and times again that he took good care of the pack, and he was tired of that shit! As if _they_ never messed up! Yet here they were, treating him like a weak idiot purely because he was an Omega!

Now the two people he believed to always keep his back revealed that they also saw Dean as nothing more than an Omega. Rage _exploded_ inside Dean and his body started _shaking_ from the force of it. He saw Sam and Castiel bracing themselves for impact, which only pushed him further into blinding fury. „Why?” he barked back, barely managing to keep his voice even as a leader should. „Because I can’t be trusted to keep it in my pants around Benny?” Sam nervously glanced around, worried others would hear Dean’s words, but Dean was _beyond_ giving a damn. „Is that what you think of me? Then just come out and say it!” Oh, how much he wished Sam would! Then he’d have an excuse to slug him in the—

A calm voice reached Dean’s ears, cutting his train of thoughts: „I’ll stay at Sam’s.” Dean snapped his eyes at Benny and for a split second he saw it again, the pure _hatred_ twisting Benny’s features as he stared at Dean before he schooled them back into a neutral expression. But the stench of fear remained noticeable in his natural aroma. „Your people are already making up stories on why you want me join the pack. No reason to add fuel to the fire.”

In different circumstances Dean would appreciate that Benny was once again covering up for his earlier moment of weakness, reducing it to mere ‘made up stories’ but he was too stunned by the hatred he noticed on Benny’s face, which clashed with the emotions his scent was revealing. Dean’s brained seemed to slow down to the lowest possible setting, struggling to put those conflicting information into a coherent whole.

When he failed to respond for several seconds, Sam walked over to Benny and patted him on the shoulder. „Come on, Benny. I’ll show you where you’re going to sleep.”

With one last glance at Dean, now devoid of any negative feelings, Benny followed after Sam and they wandered between the huts, soon disappearing from Dean’s view.

„I should return to my responsibilities” Castiel announced. „If you need me, I’ll be in my hut.” He took several steps away from Dean, only to stop in place and glance over his shoulder at Dean. For a moment he looked like he wanted to say something else, but thought better of it and turned back to continue on his way, leaving Dean alone in the middle of the village.

Conflicting emotions fought for dominance in Dean’s mind as he struggled to make sense of what he’s just witnessed. He absentmindedly headed to his own place with legs carrying him almost on their own accord down the familiar road. Why Benny stared at him with such disdain when he argued with Sam while at the same time smelling like he was _terrified_ of something? Was it about him undergoing the test period and the people’s distrust? No, that didn’t make sense. He smelled consistently worried throughout the entire meeting and only outright _scared_ on two occasions.

Whenever Dean was talking.

He recalled Benny’s surprise when he learned Dean as the pack leader − „ _Omega as the pack’s Alpha?_ ” − and the anger simmering in his chest latched onto it. At the time Dean could swear he’s heard bewilderment in Benny’s voice as it was admittedly rare for an Omega to lead people, but now a growing suspicion told him it was _amusement_ instead. An Omega as the leader? _Ridiculous!_ Everyone knew Omegas were only good for rearing pups and taking care of their Alphas!

Anger grew stronger in his mind and chest, causing Dean to stomp harder on his way home, needing to let some of that sensation out; he’s been bottling up his frustration for being mistreated far too long.

More memories spilled forward. Benny first gave Dean that hateful glare when he was putting Frank in his place... and later when he argued with Sam. Omegas _aren’t suppose to_ argue with Alphas. They weren’t _suppose to_ talk back to Betas either. It just wasn’t in their nature to act headstrong. That’s why Ellen and Frank were so against Dean talking over as the leader: because they believed he would be too weak to step in and do what had to be done as an Alpha would. But they were _wrong_. He _killed_ his own father instead of letting him suffer! And he’s done a _fantastic job_ leading the pack!

And what he’s received in return? Doubts and never-ending challenges from people he grew up around, people he once trusted. Since the moment he stepped out of Dad’s hut and revealed he’s ended Dad’s suffering, Dean knew something’s changed. He _saw_ contempt and blame nobody would speak out loud in everyone’s eyes. He _knew_ each and every one of them silently blamed _him_ for failing to save Dad, even though there was _nothing_ he could do.

If there was, he’d have done it without hesitation.

That didn’t matter to anyone, though. They followed Dean purely out of tradition, the oldest son of the previous leader who managed to fight off other challengers for the title. But they made it perfectly clear, in particular Ellen and Frank, that they didn’t respect him. Because he was born an Omega, not an Alpha as he should’ve been.

Was that it? Was Benny just another _asshole_ who couldn’t stand the idea of an Omega leading the pack? It didn’t explain that stench of fear, but it explained the hateful stares Benny gave him whenever Dean stepped out of the little niche his gender dictated for him.

Well, he’ll show them, all of them. One day they’ll _regret_ doubting him.


End file.
